A Flight Towards Our Future
by lovingtimetravelexpert
Summary: A collection of one-shots. Mainly Shimayu. May contain different pairings in the future. Cover-art by richarano[dot]tumblr[dot]com
1. Merī Kurisumasu

A/N: This is a spin-off of my multi-chaptered story _The purity of White seems to be Red._ It plays in the future of the story. Hopefully it will bring a smile to your lips.

Actually I plan to make this a Oneshot-Compilation to publish other scenes and stories in the _Twin Star Exorcist_ Universe that come to my mind. I can't promise but it will not only contain Shimayu stories.

 **Merī Kurisumasu**

With eagle eyes and a calm hand Mayura placed her homemade chocolate cream on the cake spreading it out very carefully. After a few minutes the whole cake was surrounded by the soft, creamy chocolate icing. She smiled at her work. Surely he would like it. He would appreciate the perfection of the flat top and sides as well as the pointedly shaped edge of the cake. But she knew he would love the cake after tasting a bite. After all – she had learned this on one of her visits to the Ikagura estate before they were dating – Shimon had a sweet tooth.

She hummed a Christmas song as she decorated the cake with small piles of whipped vanilla cream. In her head she chanted the words 'I just want to hold you close. Da-da-daaa. All I want for Christmas...' She giggled feeling silly. But she was happy about her work. This cake would help her. Since they started going out he was not so stiff anymore when they were alone together but she had discovered a little of chocolate made him smile and laugh a lot sooner. And though it was a rare sight to see and a rare sound to hear she loved the moment, he showed and shared his happiness.

After finishing the cake by putting sweet cherries on top of each pile, she turned around to get a glance at the clock hanging above the door frame of the kitchen. It was already half past five. She had half an hour to get ready. 'Perfect timing', she thought putting away the cake.

As she went to her room she wondered if Benio and Rokuro were having a special date, too or if they spend their day like always pretending nothing was going on. Coming to think of it, Shimon and her would be alone for the whole day. The main house of the Amawaka clan was totally deserted this evening. Swallowing down her dwelling nervousness about this thought she entered her room and swiftly put on her dress and the suiting stockings she had laid out this morning. It was a beige cotton dress with long arms and a collar of fur, ending above her knees. Looking in the mirror her self-confidence rose. It was the perfect outfit, not too formal, not too showy and fitting her perfectly. Now she only needed to make her hair and she would be ready.

The scent of candles filled the main room as she lightened the last one just in time before the bell in front of the house rang. Taking in the sight of the candles she felt the nervousness rise in her again. What would they do the whole evening alone together? Were the candles too much? Should she leave the main light on? How much time would she need to blow out all twenty six candles?

The bell rang anew, breaking Mayura out of her inner conflict. It was too late to turn back now. Taking a deep breath she went to let Shimon in.

When she opened the door all of her worries dissolved. Shimon was standing there with a hand in one pocket of his trousers, the other held a nicely wrapped present. Instead of his usual outfit he now wore a light blue shirt that complimented his sky blue eyes and a black tie. Brown trousers and black shoes completed the handsome sight. Mayura felt a blush rising as she took his appearance in. She noticed he didn't wear his headphones which caused a funny, fluttering feeling in her stomach. He was taking this date as serious as she did. Her blush deepened when she noticed his eyes widening and a small blush brushing his cheeks as he watched her.

After a while Shimon seemed to have regained his composure, he straightened up. "Mayura, you look beautiful."

Her heart beat sped up. His voice, saying such things, it was enough to make her feel tingly inside. She looked down on her folded hands and stammered: "Thank you. You look very ha-a-handsome, too."

Fighting her inner turmoil she looked up at Shimon whose ever sharp gaze was so soft now. "C-come in?"

He simply nodded and followed her as she lead the way to the main room.

After they sat on the couch with a lot of distance between them. The room was totally silent for they both sat there not looking at each other. She had her hands folded in her lap and watched the candle light flicker softly. The air between Shimon and her was still tight and awkward. Had she poisoned the whole mood by dressing up and lightening candles? Had she send wrong signals rising high expectations? An image of them in a tight embrace on the couch appeared in front of her inner eye. Heat rose her face and she tried to shake the image off. She clenched her hands together as she felt his gaze on her. Okay, it was clearly time for the cake!

She raised her eyes to him who held the present in one hand. "I have cake." A few days later she might laugh about her own stupid wording. Now as he lifted his eyes to meet her gaze she only thought about the cake as the ultimate solution to this situation and continued. "I'm going to get it, just wait here. By the way, you can put the present on the table."

With that she rushed to get the cake. It was still on the kitchen counter, looking absolutely mouth-watering. She sighed and took the cake and brought it to the main room, where she had set dishes before she lightened the candles.

And she had been right. When Shimon looked at the cake his lips lifted to a small smile and his eyes held a little wonder in them. After he took the first bite of the cake he paused and looked down on his plate. Mayura began to fear the worst: Was there too much cream? Not enough? Was it too sweet? Was there-?

"Mayura, this is delicious. Did you make the cake?" He looked at her in puzzlement like he tried to figure something out.

Heat rose to her cheeks. Mayura nodded eargerly as she felt utterly relieved and pleased because he liked the cake.

The puzzlement turned into something else. And he bowed his head. "Thank you, Mayura, for this tasty cake." After that he literally dug into the cake. He ate his slice of cake rapidly. Nevertheless he managed to avoid gobbling it down and stayed presentable.

She smiled watching him. He was handsome, cool, kind and powerful. But he also had many funny and cute quirks that where also part of the reason she fell in love with him.

"Everything, okay?" He watched her with a raised eyebrow, having finished his (first) slice of cake.

She smiled at him, he had a crumble in the corner of his mouth. He was cute indeed. "Everything is perfect." Slowly she ate her piece of cake as he continued giving into his chocolate addiction.

Later when they exchanged presents she felt the love for him tighten her chest each moment passing by. When he opened her present and blew her a fullhearted smile over the vermilion scarf she had knitted herself for half an eternity, when she opened his present and couldn't help but laugh hard about the Twin Star Exorcist action figures, when he shared her laughter, when they smiled at each other like the fools they were, when he leaned towards, when he kissed her, she knew, she just knew they were meant to be.

Before she pressed her lips to his again, she whispered: "Merry Christmas."

* * *

A/N: In Japan Christmas is totally different. Because there are not many Christians living it is neither religious nor a holiday. Also it is not a day to celebrate with family but with lovers, like a second Valentine's Day. The presents, if there are some (often only in young families) are very small ones.

\o/ \o/ **Merry Christmas to you all!** \o/ \o/


	2. First Kiss

A/N: A collection needs at least a second story, doesn't it?^^ So here is a second, rather short one.

By the way. I kinda received a prompt in one the reviews of the first story. Mai (Guest), do you have something certain in mind with "something about Shimon's life"? Everyone else can send me prompts and suggestions for One-shots, too.

 **First kiss**

How long had they danced around each other? How long had he admired her from a distance and loved in secret?

How long had it been until he recognized the love in her eyes was directed at him?

How long had he waited for this moment to come?

Standing in front of her on a now vacant battlefield he felt a funny feeling rushing through his body. In a moment of weakness, in a moment of fear for her life he had confessed to her. Her answer had been a wish come true, a dream fulfilled, a prayer rewarded.

Mayura looked at him timidly. Now the moment of truth had come. 'No holding back anymore', Shimon thought as he leaned down.

Their lips met and an electric shock wave ran through his entire body. An overwhelming desire to be much more closer to her was tugging at his heart. He unconsciously nibbled on her lips to get a better taste and was rewarded with a low moan of her. The desire turned into need and he wrapped his arms around her back more firmly, pulling her into him in a tight embrace. Then – all of a sudden – he realized her soft breasts were pressed into his chest. He gasped – only inwardly, mind you – and broke away totally flustered and ashamed.

WHOAA- How was he going to deal with this? He did not want to insult her by touching them. Was it okay for being unintentionally pressed to them?

His face felt like glowing as he tried to look everywhere else when he noticed Mayura having finished catching her breath and looking confused. Something like a trace of hurt was swimming in her ocean blue eyes as she folded her hands in front of her in a protective manner. His heart stopped beating for a moment. Now he felt like scum for hurting her, to be more accurate, it felt like being kicked at his most vulnerable spot. The power she behold over him. What had she done?

He bent his head in doubled shame. "Sorry, Mayura. I've never been... This is the first time..." He swallowed and squeezed his eyes shut. 'Get a hold of yourself, Ikagura, you're not eight anymore. You're an Heavenly Commander for crying out loud.'

"I'm sorry, I don't know how to behave in this situation." He raised his head again although he was afraid of her reaction. Was she going to hate him? Would she call him a pervert? Would she be indifferent about it or find it ridiculous? The last two option seemed unlikely regarding Mayura's personality but he just couldn't stop the train of doubts speeding through his head.

She raised an delicate eyebrow in question. Yes, he could understand why, thinking about it, his rambling didn't clear things up.

'You can do this. You were brave enough to finally kiss her. This is just talking. Talking about her- Never mind.' He cleared his throat. "Ahm, I don't want to insult you in any way... but... you were very, veeery close and I couldn't help bu-but notice..."

'Keep talking nonsense, that way, she'll understand you.' He swallowed. "The idea of making you uncomfortable because I touch your-" He raised his hands intending to at least draw the image of her round, female features.

She grabbed his hands and when he looked into her eyes he saw understanding and determination. For a moment he forgot, what they were talking about. Damn her beautiful eyes that held so much emotions. "Shimon, I've never been this close to someone else, too. And I've always hated how the boys around me starred at them." She looked down at _them_ and he tried his best not to follow her gaze.

"But-" She lifted her head and looked deeply into his eyes. A blush painted her cheeks and her dreamy gaze revived the butterflies in his stomach. "But when we just now... When you touched me, I didn't mind at all." She smiled at him sheepishly with her blush still prominent on her face. "In fact, if it's you I don't mind you touching or looking if you want."

He felt a sudden pain in his left arm and Mayura disappeared behind a black screen.

Later they would decide together that no one will ever hear the story how Ikaruga Shimon, Suzaku of the Heavenly Commanders, had nearly an heart attack after their first kiss.

* * *

A/N: XD XD Inexperienced Shimon! I've just had to write this. Sorry, for being cruel. I had this idea once running through my mind and this scenario seemed to be out of question for my other fiction.

Shimon is OCC here but I think it is possible that he is totally overwhelmed by her breasts (pun intended) and tries to be a gentleman about it.


	3. What has been seen can't be unseen

A/N: This was inspired by Sukeno-san's teaser on twitter. Today is the day (Jan, 20th) the extra with ShiMayu is published in the magazine _SQ Crown._ If someone get's a hold onto that, on scans and/or a translation, please (PLEASE!) PM me! **UPDATE: The scans are already out. You can find it on tumblr. We all have to thank eus-mylus (tumblr)! I would never have imagined it to be this explicit.  
**

 **Updated Update: The shimayu special is now translated. You can find it as chapter 39.5 on mangafox until the official volume gets published.**

Can't wait for your reviews! I'm thrilled so many love ShiMayu as much as I do.^^

Oh, and Mai (Guest), don't worry, you don't force me to write ShiMayu, nobody can. The only thing forcing me to do so, is my minor and not at all crazy obsession with them. I will get to your prompt in the next chapter.

 **What has been seen can't be unseen**

Shimon figured he must have been a very bad person in his earlier life to deserve this.

How? How did he end up in this situation?

Laying on his futon, Shimon was frozen with fear.

The cards had turned against him. Everything he had carefully planned had backfired.

He had thought it was a good idea to take Mayura to a secure part at the outskirts of the island located at the seaside, where he could train her without any other Heavenly Commander poking in or Rokuro distracting her. He'd been so wrong believing this was a good idea. Perhaps he hadn't thought this through but he never would have foreseen that the trip would lead to – to this!

He turned his slightly shaking head to the side. There she was, sleeping peacefully next to him. Not a care in the world or so it seemed. Why was she not having any problem with this situation?

When they had arrived on the island after a long ride on the bus that made him wish he'd never boarded it in the first place, they'd been greeted with bad news. Due to the hot weather all the rooms had been booked out. All except for one.

Only reluctantly had he agreed to share the room but when they had lain next to each other he couldn't get any sleep. Disturbed by her presence he had looked at her when all of a sudden she had rolled onto her right side and pulled his pillow from underneath his head.

Scared to death he had glanced at her. She'd cuddled happily with his pillow with a small smile only a few inches next to him.

Every muscle had been on alert as he had stayed still, fingers crossed so he couldn't touch anything unconsciously although he had feared sleep wouldn't come to him.

There he'd lain with no pillow and her proximity being too close.

He had been glad when the sun finally rose.

Unnerved and sleep deprived Shimon had prayed to get some rest the next day. Unaware of the torture he would have to endure that day he'd finished a training unit with Mayura who afterwards suggested to get some rest at the beach for a while pointing at the bags under his eyes.

And then – when they had met at the beach as agreed – she had stood in the sea, waving for him to join her, clad only in a very small, pink bikini.

Shocked about the unexpected sight Shimon's body had refused to move. After his heart started beating again, he had declined her offer and spread out a beach towel he'd rented from the inn moments before. Sitting back listening to his music he'd willed the image out of his head and hoped to at least get a little bit of rest. He should have known by then that this night he wouldn't get any sleep either.

Now he was again next to her, lying on his back. Adding to the annoying situation were the images that were haunting his mind. Images of her in a bikini. It was a picture that he wasn't able to scratch out.

Sure, he had noticed her womanly form before. But it had been a piece of information stored in the back of his head. Now it was more prominent than ever after it pounded down the door of said storage. The picture of her kindled his imagination making him feel unbearably hot and it was only thanks to his fierce training for years that he willed down his body's instinctive reaction.

What was wrong with him? He was an Heavenly Commander and still he could barely get a hold of himself. He wasn't supposed to gawp at his sensei's daughter and his colleague. What he needed the most now was sleep and not some inappropriate fantasies.

Sleep deprived he stared at the ceiling. A flat, boring ceiling. No curves. Rectangular beams crafted by men. Straight lines and squared edges. Those shapes were a welcome change to the thoughts tormenting his mind. Shapes... God dammit.

For a moment he weighed his chances. Scratching his eyes out would be to late, getting some sleep seemed to be out of question and leaving the room to take care of his body's reactions was an idea he really, really did not even want to dwell on. He wasn't a pervert and that would certainly destroy their friendly relationship.

If it wasn't destroyed by now. How would he ever be able to look at her again and not think of – of that.

Sighing Shimon closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep by telling himself the story about the adventures of the bird and the fox that Chiiko loved to hear when she had been younger.

The noise of a rattling blanket interrupted the story-telling. Fresh fear rushed through him and he blinked his eyes open.

Slowly he turned his head to the side. A peacefully sleeping Mayura had shifted closer. Her heart shaped face was illuminated by the moon light shining through the window. The shadows on her blanket drew an intimate painting of her body underneath.

Preparing for her next attack he grabbed his pillow with his right hand, just in case she might try to steal it again. And there it was, her hand searched for his pillow and grabbed lightly onto it. She scrunched up her face when it wouldn't budge a bit.

Oh, no. Please don't wake up. Please don't wake up.

Not moving a muscle he watched her scared about her reaction if she woke up. After a while she gave up and her grab lightened. Relieved about her withdrawal he hoped she would now return to snuggle up into her pillow instead. But she surprised him yet again when she didn't move back but forward finding a new pillow to cuddle with. Him.

Stiff as a plank he lay with her upper half draped on top of him. Controlling his breathing he looked down and only saw a bunch of blond hair.

This was worse than anything he would have expected.

His heart beat raced within his chest. His body was heating up again reacting to the warmth she emitted.

The worst part was that her proximity did not feel bad and that was disturbing him more than if it would. He couldn't allow himself to enjoy this feeling when she cuddled with him unknowingly. Wasn't it like taking advantage of her or something?

Should he wake her so she could return to her futon? But he wouldn't want her to be embarrassed about this so that they would be both uncomfortable from this day on. What was he supposed to do?

"Shimon-" She huffed a breath.

His face started to glow. Was she dreaming about him?

"-kun."

His throat constricted hearing the familiar form of address from her lips. He had a hard time to swallow the bubble of happiness, surprise and wonder that formed in his throat.

Perhaps she was returning his feelings on some level. She had called his name in her sleep. Wasn't this meaning something?

She sighed happily and snuggled closer to him filling his chest with longing. This almost felt real. A night shared in a loving, innocent embrace. It made him wish this wasn't an accident. It made him wish she really belonged in his arms. Funny, how he yearned the most for her when she was the closest.

As his heart ached for her he felt it calm down.

Was it wrong if he wanted her to stay in his arms for tonight? It was an accident, wasn't it? They could laugh about it the next morning or he would wait for her to wake up and return to her futon as if nothing had happened. And then they would never speak about this again and resume their friendly relationship.

While he thought about the possible solutions to prevent them from being embarrassed about this situation sleep clutched on his mind with her warmth lulling him in. The last thing he perceived were the low sound of her peaceful breathing, the jasmine smell of her hair and the faint rise and fall of her body as he almost unconsciously lay an arm over her before he drifted off. Almost...

The next thing he knew was the sound of the shōji (1) being opened. While the memory of his dream faded – something about a kitten stalking a red bird on a branch – Shimon slowly regained consciousness.

Warm and relaxed he stretched out his limbs before he opened his eyes. The sun filled the room completely making him wonder what time it was. They needed to start with their training as soon as possible, if they wanted to make some progress in the few days they were staying.

Planning on waking Mayura he turned to his left when memories of last night came running over him like a train.

Had they-? Had he-?

He lay back down as his mind tried to make sense about the information rushing through.

"Shimon?" Her soft voice called him from behind. Right. She hadn't been on her futon.

Stretching his neck to look at the scene behind him he was welcomed with the sight of her fully dressed carrying a tray with breakfast and smiling at him like the morning sun.

The picture made his heart stop and his stomach flutter. This picture... He wanted to hold onto it for as long as he could. Too afraid to break the illusion of the homely impression and to call forth the consequences of last night's incident he remained quiet.

She rose an eyebrow at him and went to her knees placing the tray in front of her.

She reminded him of spring. The soft awakening of life, rose petals rising, green leaves growing, sun rays breaking through the crown of a tree and a bird chirping in the background.

He must have stared for too long for her eyebrow twisted into a small frown tearing down his daydream. "Shimon? Do you want to sleep for a while longer? I thought you might be tired after yesterday so I let you sleep."

He continued to stare. 'Say something, you idiot,' an angry voice in his head barked out. Clearing his throat he sat up. "No, I feel rested."

Sitting on her knees she smiled softly at him. "I brought breakfast. I thought it would be faster if we eat here before we start the training."

"Good idea." He rose to his feet and walked to join her in front of the tray.

With small appetite he reached out for his share of the breakfast, a bowl of rice with fried egg and miso soup (2) and carefully watched her. She seemed normal and had said not a word about the night. Maybe she had turned around in sleep and had woken up on her own futon.

Bowing his head he fought down the disappointment he felt at this possibility. It would be better this way. He couldn't bear the thought of her not being able to look into his eyes anymore because of an accidental hug.

They continued to eat in silence while Shimon told himself not to be depressed about her not knowing about what happened last night. Even if they would have talked about it, it was unlikely that it would lead to anything. It would be improbable for her to feel anything else but embarrassment over this. At least he had a picture he could cherish. The picture of her entering their room with breakfast looking oh so soft and beautiful after a night with her in his arms.

After finishing her soup she placed her bowl down. With her hands holding onto her bowl, she raised her voice again. "Did you – Did you sleep well?"

Glad he had swallowed down the rice in his mouth before that question left her lips, he coughed only a little bit. He glanced at her. Her hands haven't moved from the bowl. "Ugh..."

How should he reply? Would she notice his feelings if he confessed that he slept better than ever? Hold on a second! Did she know something or was it just because he had seemed tired yesterday?

A soft sigh left her after he said nothing else. She folded her hands on her lap looking – dissatisfied?

What had she expected he would say? Perhaps it was time to be honest. He put down the bowl and turned to face her. Taking a big leap and admitted a part of the truth. "Yeah, yeah I did. Great actually."

Her response, a warm smile and a soft glint in her deep blue eyes, made Shimon wonder about its meaning for the rest of their trip.

Someday he might learn the truth.

* * *

(1) Shōji is the name for those typical Japanese doors with translucent paper over a frame of wood

(2) As an European I find this strange but I researched typical Japanese breakfast and they really do eat hearty food in the morning. Well, it's not as hearty as the British breakfast, sooo it might not be that strange...

A/N: At the end of this story the song "All you need is Love" by The Beatles rang through my head. Love, love, looove... XD


	4. The Vermilion Bird

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews!

Two guest reviewers (john and Mai) asked about the origin of the story "What has been seen can't be unseen": First of all the story isn't in the manga. For fanfictions I'll use the characters, relationships, locations, plot etc. but I do not retell.^^ The story was only inspired by one page the mangaka Sukeno-san had posted on his twitter account before the Extra about Shimon and Mayura was published (SQ Crown, 21st Jan). It showed Shimon and Mayura lying next to each other, while Shimon obviously couldn't sleep. A second picture on that page showed Mayura in a bikini. That was the template I created the last One-shot on.

Secondly, the Shimayu Extra is online. You can find it on tumblr. Although it is not published within the manga, it can by now be assumed to be canonic. But I must warn you, it is very different to "What has been seen can't be unseen" so be prepared!^^

Concerning the length of the One-shots: I'm working on "The Purity of White Seems to be Red" (TPWR) most of the time. As you can imagine it takes a while because of the amount of research - rereading parts of the manga to avoid OOCness and getting informations about Japanese culture, exorcism, buddhism, shintoism and such things relevant to make the world within the story look like the world in the manga. As long as I'm working on this I can't promise longer One-shots that have more than one scene. Please, understand. :-|

If you have any other questions about my stories you can also contact me on twitter or tumblr, you'll find the addresses in my profile.

The following story is based on the prompt: "write another story about shimon life or something" - Mai (guest)

Now have fun reading!

 **The Vermilion Bird**

He remembered the day they told him his father died in battle. He had been a toddler, three years old standing in the hall of his father's house. A home he had no memories of anymore. They had taken him and brought him to a great house in the middle of the Ikaruga estate. A man appeared in front of him looking strict and sincere. Suddenly his face broke into a big grin. "You must be Shimon. I heard a lot about you." He passed him a handkerchief for Shimon had tears running down his face.

He remembered the smile of Ikaruga Houji, the head of the Ikaruga clan, on the day the main family took him in. He was grateful now. More grateful than he could have been that time. For three years he had felt to be an outsider in the main family, still mourning over his late father. And then she was born. He remembered the first time Ikaruga Sayo was presented. Her name was written on a plate at the day of her birth as the whole clan gathered on the courtyard in front of the main house for her to be presented. On the plate was written: Ikaruga Sayo. Misreading the characters, Shimon thought her name was Chiiko. And he called her Chiiko ever since. A little baby was the new pride of the whole Ikaruga clan. She was cute, blue eyes, pinkish red hair and a smiling face. Later when the main family was alone Shimon was allowed to hold her. As she smiled at him, he promised to protect her no matter what. In that moment she became his little sister.

He remembered the day he almost fell pray to the impurities. It was one of his first times in Megano. Six years old he couldn't believe he was joining his father and mother so soon. All of a sudden _he_ appeared in front of him and saved him, Seigen-san. He didn't take long to exorcise the impurities surrounding them. And Shimon admired him. A while later he became his pupil. For two years he trained under Amawaka Seigen. He'd thought he would continue to train under Seigen for another few years when all of a sudden Seigen was send to the mainlands to a mission lasting for years. With Seigen gone Shimon trained harder as ever, wanting his sensei to acknowledge him when he was returning. With eleven he mastered every skill required for exorcism, with twelve he became platoon leader for the first time. Still Seigen-san didn't return. It didn't matter. By that time Shimon had acquired a new goal in life. To change the fate of her little sister, he was going to exorcise all impurities.

He remembered the day Seigen-san finally returned to the island. Shimon had rushed to meet him, to tell him all about his accomplishments. Happily he welcomed him back. Devastation rolled down on him when he recognized the broken man standing in front of him. Later he learned about the Hinatsuki tragedy. When he was in his room on that evening he shared tears for his lost teacher, his crushed idol. By then Shimon had just turned 14.

He remembered the day of his Ceremony of Ascension. A large crowd of exorcists had gathered to watch him being officiated as the Heavenly Commander Suzaku. He swore to act and live as his title commanded to him to. And he swore to himself to fight for his little sister and for Seigen-san.

He remembered the first time he saw Enmadou Rokuro. Unruly hair, crooked teeth, horrible manner of speech. He hated that guy and blamed him for Seigen-san to loose his right arm. If Rokuro hadn't brought himself into danger, Seigen wouldn't have to save him. With a missing right arm, Seigen would never be able to fight as an exorcist again.

He remembered having to wait two years for letting his anger out on the twerp, beating him up in a rather even fight. Shortly afterwards his view of Rokuro changed. He owed him a depth, he had yet to repay. For Enmadou Rokuro had saved his little sister Chiiko. After that he helped Rokuro train, to become the greatest exorcist the world has seen. He introduced him to the way of life on the island and sooner or later had they become friends.

He remembered the day he met her. She'd stumbled into his life when he'd at least expected. Walking in on him after taking a shower. Otomi Mayura, Seigen-san's daughter. He didn't know what he'd imagined her to be like but he was bothered with the fact she was so different compared to his idol. Looking crestfallen, timid, sad. Holding nothing but a low level of spirit and resolve. He didn't understand why he'd cared about her when he had a goal to achieve. But he did. He watched her until he couldn't stand his irritation about her anymore. In a gruff voice he gave her a piece of his mind, making her cry and run away. But she came back a little later. Her eyes, they suddenly shone with confidence and determination, moving something in him. He had been 18 years old and had no interest in the other sex. Little by little she changed this fact.

He remembered her first smile at him. A real smile, not the timid, polite one she gave him when she's asked him to train with her all those years ago or whenever she had thanked him. It was a small, happy smile that made his heart flutter.

He remembered how one day he was hit by a truth as if he'd been run over by a train. He had stared at her eating a sandwich with a smile and a blush that made him wish to see everyday. When she suddenly opened her big, blue and kind eyes he was rooted to the seat as his heart made a large jump and his stomach twisted in pleasure. He had known at that moment why he couldn't stop thinking about her. He had fallen in love with Otomi Mayura.

He remembered how he denied that truth for months. His life circulated around her but he wouldn't allow himself to give into these emotions. That was until he couldn't hold himself back after a mission in which she stupidly risked her life for Rokuro. The jealousy in him felt like an ulcer of dread painfully twisting his heart. He accused her, raising his voice and he had stalked her until her back hit a wall. He had watched her quiver in fear and it made him hate himself after the shock ebbed away. Defeated he had turned around wanting to leave when she suddenly yelled after him. He turned around and was welcomed by her burning lips.

He remembered that first kiss in every detail. Timid and a little bit awkward at first before they both shifted into a better angle. His heart had pounded so fast in his chest he heard its beat ringing in his ears.

He remembered the first time they made love. The last rays of sunlight bathed them as they became one. She had been so beautiful and he had never wanted to let her go.

He remembered the day he proposed. For years he hadn't been as nervous as in the moments before he'd asked her to marry him. He felt silly but her immediate reply calmed his nerves and made him despite himself grin like a fool.

He remembered the day they married. Seigen-san's glare made his neck tickle. He didn't notice it any longer after she smiled at him in the unique way that was saved for him.

He remembered the day their daughter was born. Everyone around him was freaking out while he remained calm and focused by controlling his breathing. He patiently waited until a nurse came to get him. When he saw Mayura holding their daughter with tears rushing down her face, he felt a new form of happiness and tears came to his eyes.

When he thought about his life up until this point, when he remembered all the events that lead to this day, he couldn't help but feeling grateful for the people he met. Together they created a better world, a world in which his daughter would have her father when she grew up and became an adult.

"Shimon, what are you thinking about?" Her voice brought him back to reality. A reality in which a small baby girl with smiling, sky blue eyes and two colored hair, blond-fuchsia, was happily sucking on his finger.

He pulled his finger away, receiving a questioning gaze of his daughter. Her eyes had the shape and size of her mother's eyes. "Just this and that."

He had a lot to protect.

Mayura smiled at him lovingly. "When you're finished thinking, can you tell her the fable about the bird and the kitten again? You know she loves that story."

Shimon returned her smile while their daughter made giggling sounds trying to grab a strain of his hair. "Sure."

* * *

A/N: How did you like it? I couldn't think about anything else regarding the prompt but it helped to get a better idea of Shimon's character.

Thanks to TailGatomonX3 for the tips! I think the new parts compliment the rest.^^


	5. The Sweet Aroma of Love

A/N: Hello dearies, here is a tribute to Mayura's birthday and Valentine's Day. Have fun reading! (Also I wanted you to know that I am accepting prompts.^^)

 **The Sweet Aroma of Love**

Her grip on the box tightened. Mayura was nervous. With a glance on the clock at her wrist she confirmed that only two minutes had rolled by since she sat down and waited. He was supposed to be here any minute. They had said three past midday, hadn't they?

She glanced at the box in her hands. She hoped he would like it. She had worked for hours split on two days at its content, experimenting on the perfect blend between dark and milk chocolate, weighing the portions, making notes, melting the various mixtures slowly and carefully and testing the results after they cooled off. Finally she had been satisfied with one blend, the chocolate still being creamy but not too sweet nor too bitter, the aroma of cocoa melting on her tongue. She'd copied the mixture again being more careful about melting it this time before pouring it smoothly into a heart-shaped form. Then she had waited for hours until she was save to turn the form and took a large chocolate heart out of it. Luckily there were no air holes or any other kind of defects on the heart. It was nicely formed and shone due to the large share of cocoa butter.

Very tidily she had wrapped up the rectangular box she put the chocolate heart into and worked on a flawless bow. When she was finished she smiled at the result and left to change into warm clothes. It was still winter outside.

Smiling and humming she had imitated the neatness in which she'd handled the chocolate earlier while putting on her clothes. She knew he wouldn't mind her not looking dressed to the nines, he wouldn't mind if there was an air bubble in the chocolate or if the box she wrapped it in had a bend. She knew he would eat chocolate in every form and shape. But she wanted this special date on this special day to be perfect.

Now she sat on a bench in the park they usually met at, not far from the place where they had shared their first laughter sitting on his spread out jacket. Her heart fluttered at the memory as she looked at the spot on the grass and she forgot to feel nervous about handing him the box.

The sound of his dark voice laughing in honesty ringing to her ear for the first time was one of her favorite memories. The last few months they had created a lot of them but that one would always be burned to her heart. She hadn't known then but this park had been very special to him when he was younger, a boy who just lost his father. Little by little they built a whole set of new memories, good memories and happy ones in this park where he once had cried bitter tears. She loved the idea of helping him coating his grief with cheerful memories.

Suddenly her sight was blocked by a dark, zipped up jacket and brown trousers with a hand stuffed into one of its pockets. She rose her head and was welcomed by the sight of Shimon holding a large, wrapped-up box in one hand and a backpack dangling from one strap on his shoulder, presenting the image of a cool, laid-back guy. Warmth spread through her body and she felt her heart making a jump. He was handsome indeed.

She smiled at his image. Sometimes she would still wonder at the funny sight of them together. With her wearing a cute light blue jacket with cords hanging in one straight line from it and a royal blue scarf wrapped around her neck and with him preferring muted and dark colors, while being dressed more like a punk.

A girl at school once told her, that everybody thought them to look cute and that they were considered to be the perfect couple with everyone being envious of their relationship. Mayura wasn't able to believe this, at least not with their public display. He seldom showed his affectionate side in public. But Mayura knew it was there. Since they started dating, she had discovered a sweet side of him that was reserved for her only. She preferred it this way. She loved the idea of having an exclusively insight of his private thoughts.

Shimon rose a delicate eyebrow as she had kept staring at him. "Are you alright?"

She smiled and nodded while he sat down next to her. "I just thought about the first time we were in this park and I thought about us."

A soft blush appeared on his cheeks. A blush that made her wonder now, how he could look cute sometimes and at other times stirred emotions within her that made her insides flutter and burn her with heat.

He turned his gaze onto the box, he had placed on his lap. "Ah."

She had an easier time talking about her emotions since they got together. After a few months she felt easy approaching him and talking about her thoughts. It was not only because he made her feel save and comfortable but also because there was nothing standing between, no title, no position. Not anymore. "It was the first time I heard you laugh."

"You- you remember?" His blush disappeared and was replaced by a look of surprise.

She nodded and smiled and put the box on the bench. "Hn."

He returned her smile. His gaze drifted to the spot she earlier stared at. "Back then I believed this was one sided, that you didn't return my feelings."

She felt bad. They had circled around each other for months and it had only been thanks to a catastrophe, that Mayura admitted to herself that she had fallen for him. "I didn't know."

"It doesn't matter anymore." He smiled softly at her.

His smile always fought away her inner doubts and caressed her heart. "You're right."

He grabbed the box on his lap again. "I wanted to give you something." He held the box towards her looking hesitant. "Happy Birthday, Mayura."

She smiled brightly, feeling the stretch of the corner's of her lips. "Thank you, Shimon." She took the present and put it onto her lap wondering what it could be. On Christmas day he gave her Twin Star action figures as a present. A present that made her nearly fall over with laughter. She figured it would be something different now. Well, as long as the Heavenly Commanders hadn't become action figures. Having a small action figure of Shimon would be... interesting, to say the least.

Shaking of that embarrassing idea that made heat rise to her cheeks, she focused on the the box on her lap again.

Before she opened it, she wanted to hand him the chocolate she worked hard on to produce. She took the box and pushed it into his direction smiling as brightly as before. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

The tint of red was brushed over his cheeks again and he stared at her for a moment before he took the box with a smile that reached his eyes. "Thank you."

His gaze was stuck to the box for a while making her wonder, if he inspected its wrapping or if he was surprised to receive a present on Valentine's Day. Surely the girls at school must have left him with a wheelbarrow full of chocolate every year. "Aren't you going to open it?"

Shimon turned his gaze on her. "Shouldn't you open your present first? It's your birthday after all."

She wasn't sure, she would be able to stand watching him opening her gift after she discovered what was inside his present. An idea crossed her mind. "Let's open them together."

A small, handsome smirk grazed his lips. "On three?"

She nodded.

Together they began to count down.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

She unwrapped the large square on her lap by pulling the ribbon upon first. Carefully she removed the tape and unwrapped the paper around a cardboard box. Pulling the lid open she came to face an huge chocolate cake that she could feed on a week. The words _Happy Birthday, Mayura_ were written with white chocolate in a very neat handwriting on its top.

She felt so happy about this considerate present, tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. She knew it was the chocolate cake from the café they had gone to all these months ago, before they started dating. She loved that cake not because it was a revelation in taste, which it definitely was, but because of the circumstances she linked to it. They hadn't been on a date back then – at least that's what she had told herself – but it was the day the idea that she might fall for him came to her for the first time.

Once she had told him, that she had loved the cake and that they should go there again, when they were free. But because they were often busy with work, especially since the reunion of Rokuro and Adashino-san, they hadn't been able to go.

When she looked over to him to thank him for the present, she saw him staring at the chocolate heart with a scowl on his face. Immediately thoughts of doubt filled her head. She wouldn't have believed Shimon would not like chocolate but his expression seemed to prove her wrong. Perhaps, he thought it to be too dull, a chocolate heart on Valentine's Day. Maybe he did not like it because he had always been given chocolate by those many girls swirling around him. With uncertainty eating at her she tried to raise her voice mumbling, "Don't you like it?"

His eyes met hers and yet he still scowled. "That's not it."

Confused Mayura looked at him, trying to read his thoughts through his azure eyes. It didn't work. Unfortunately, she was not as good at reading him as he was at reading her. Yet, she had to know what was bothering him. "What is it then?"

He sighed and blinked his eyes shut before looking at her with a slightly sad expression. "It's self-made, isn't it?"

She nodded slowly. What was wrong about it being self-made? Was he scared it might not taste as good as bought chocolate?

His gaze traveled to the cake on her lap. "You went through all the trouble of making me chocolate for Valentine's Day and I only bought you a big cake for your birthday at a local restaurant."

Oh. That was what was bothering him. Her heart fluttered and she lay a hand onto his that was grabbing at the rim of the box in front of him. The need to comfort him filled her thoughts.

Their gazes met again. "Shimon, I love this. Thank you for this wonderful present. You have no idea what this means to me." She shifted closer to him, turning her body into the direction of his to make the meaning of the cake to her much more clearer to him. "The day we ate this cake was very special to me. It was the first time I recognized the depth of my feelings for you."

His eyes got that one glint that made her insides clench so sweetly and heat pool below her stomach. The need to kiss him was rushing through her veins. His voice was low and silky. "Thank you, Mayura."

She barely recognized the words before he pressed his lips onto her's, making her gasp. He was still able to that after a few months. To make her gasp, sweep her away in the flow of feelings that let goosebumps rise on her skin.

He shifted closer and deepened the kiss. A hand caressed over the hairs on the backside of her neck, making her shudder with desire. Feelings she felt not mature enough to act on, were pulling on her nerves. Yet, she almost unconsciously raised a hand to bury it in his soft fuchsia colored hair and responded to his lip's movement with equal passion. With a racing heart she shifted closer to leave no space between them.

The sound of paper tearing apart dragged her out of the train of emotions she rode.

Shimon pulled away. With exaggerated breathing he looked down between them.

While trying to regulate her own breathing, she followed his gaze and detected that the wrapping paper between them was torn in half because of their shifting.

Her face felt hot. It was a different kind of heat, that was still flooding her blood. Embarrassed she smiled awkwardly at him and he returned that smile with a matching tint of red on his cheeks.

Moving a little bit to the side, Shimon regained space between them. He cleared his throat. "Actually, I had prepared something."

She watched him turn around and grab his backpack. He opened it and pulled out a vacuum flask and two cups. "So we can drink to your birthday. With tea of course. And I've brought this." He pulled out two plates, two forks and cake knife.

Tears clouded her sight anew. Her boyfriend could be amazingly sweet. "That's a wonderful idea."

"I'm just glad you did not thought me being lame because I bought you a cake." He looked at her unblinking, handing her a plate, a fork and a cup.

"No, I wouldn't. You know I love this cake." She blinked an eye at him in humor. "Besides I know about your cooking skills." She knew that he couldn't cook. And that was an exaggeration. She had learned about his one particular incapacity once in a disastrous way, but this was a story she did not want to think about too much now. However, she did not believe baking would be any different.

"You remember that, too huh?"

He looked at her with a small scowl that made her giggle. "Of course. I couldn't forget it."

He clicked his tongue. Perhaps he was unnerved about her making fun of him, perhaps about himself for being poor at something so badly. He sighed and looked at her with an hint of amusement shining in his eyes. "Shall we eat?"

She nodded at him and took the cake knife he held towards her.

They sat for two hours on the bench. Eating, talking and enjoying each other's company.

On the way to her birthday party held at the Enmadou house Mayura thought, that this was the best birthday she'd ever had. Before they entered the house crowded with people she would steal a kiss from his lips again. Heat rose to her cheeks at the idea. Almost certainly, she would do it. She felt brave enough to initiate another kiss as she was filled with warm tea, delicious cake and the love she held for him.

* * *

A/N: You might have noticed that this is set in the universe of my long fanfic "The Purity of White seems to be Red" and is the second spin-off. Then I congratulate you on finding the hints!^^

\o/ Happy Birthday, Mayura! \o/ Happy Valentine's Day, everybody! \o/


	6. Something to Swallow

A/N: I know, I know. You're probably thinking: "Why isn't she updating 'The Purity of White seems to be Red' instead of this? Well, I have a small list of prompts I need to work on and I can't concentrate on something else when an inspiration strikes.

I've prepared a dish of humor and fluff for you. I hope you'll like its taste!^^

prompt: [Shimon] sucks at cooking xD

 **Something to Swallow**

She was coming home late again, huh?

A glance at the clock confirmed his assumption.

So it hadn't been so bad that he had extended his jogging route today and hadn't been home at dinner time. His stomach rumbled. After today's workout he felt hungry.

Shimon wondered how long, he would have to wait until her return. Lately, her meetings would make her come home rather late.

It hadn't been that much of a problem the last few days. He would leave their secured living space – a thing she had arranged, when they got married and he was at certain occasions very thankful for – and would join their clan members in the public rooms of the main house. But after he walked there today, it seemed rather deserted. For a moment he wondered where everybody went until his stomach churned with hunger.

Maybe they all had joined the meeting she currently held. That was odd though. Mayura would have told him beforehand, if there had been a important issue the clan needed to discuss.

Again his stomach rumbled.

He wondered, if he should cook up something himself. But she had once told him, he wasn't allowed to touch anything in their kitchen unit, or any other kitchen.

That one time she had watched him _cooking_ with Chiiko after they had started dating was something she would remind him now and then. Even after years had gone by, she still used to do it.

But he knew by now how to regulate the heat or how to place a pan on the stove. He was not 18 anymore and he was one of the strongest exorcist. He was even more than that, he was a born member of the Ikaruga clan and a recently added member of the Amawaka clan through wedlock. He could cook up a meal – or something.

Besides it hadn't been his fault the kitchen and a large part of the Ikaruga clan had been nearly burned down to ashes back then, anyway.

With fresh determination, he made his way to their own kitchen unit.

However, when he came face to face with it, Shimon felt lost.

What was he supposed to do now? Where to start?

Analyzing the situation, he began to formulate a strategy in his head. At first he would need ingredients to cook or fry.

He walked to the fridge. Opening it he found it mostly empty.

That's right. She hadn't had much time to buy food these last few days.

Alongside of the new found grudge at looking into this gaping void called fridge, guilt overcame him. Maybe he should spend less time training and shaping up his skills and start to help her more in the household. She had enough on her schedule as head of the Amawaka clan and as Heavenly Commander.

A low rumble pierced through the silence surrounding him.

If he didn't want her to find him starved to death clutching with one hand to the handle of the fridge, he better needed to start cooking now. Maybe he could he even cook up something that was tasty enough for both of them.

Focusing of the few contents in the fridge he made mental notes on the ingredients and what he could make out of them.

There were two pears. He could make fried pears out of them.

An apple. Perhaps fried apples?

There was a plastic wrapped package, too. Looking into it Shimon discovered it contained meat.

He could cook fried meat.

For a moment he thought about the delicious Yakitori (1) she loved to make. His mouth started to water up at the idea of tasting it's crispy and succulent consistency.

But maybe he wouldn't be able to make that out of this piece of meat.

He frowned. He wasn't even sure the thing he held in his hand was chicken.

Putting the package back to where he found it, he wondered, what he could do.

Nothing came to his mind.

In defeat he closed the fridge. He couldn't make a sufficient meal by frying peals, apples and some kind of meat.

Sighing he leaned against the fridge. His strategy was failing at its first step.

What now?

Perhaps he could look for ingredients in the fridge of the main house. But it would be more than impolite to plunder it without asking for permission first. Being married to the head, didn't allow him to simply take food and thereby destroy the cooking plan of others.

Maybe he could roll up his strategy from its last point, which was of course cooking. The point coming before that was putting out pans and pots, before that came preparing the ingredients somehow and before was that devising a plan what to cook at all.

This method to reconsider a strategy backwards had served him a few times in battle so far. However, it seemed to be useless now.

His stomach churned painfully in hunger. The hunger stirred temptation. The temptation to take the fruit out of the fridge and still at least a part of his hunger. But that would be very selfish considering that it wouldn't help Mayura.

Reminding himself of his coat of composure, he straightened up and clenched his hands into fists. He wasn't letting himself be beaten by missing ingredients. There must be something he could do.

He teared on the handle of the fridge again and ripped the mischievous form of appliance open.

He saw:

Two pears.

One apple.

Some kind of meat.

…

Screw this!

A sigh left him.

The worst part at his helpless state was, that he brought it up to himself.

If he had thought about helping her more sooner, he wouldn't have to face this ironic commotion now. It was his own insufficiency he had to blame.

Glaring at the fruits and the meat, he began to scowl in dismay.

Out of the corner of his eyes he suddenly noticed something new.

In wonder he blinked at the freezer compartment.

Why hadn't he thought about it sooner? She always cooked large portions to freeze a second meal, sparing her the time to cook on some days.

Salvation was within reach!

With a smile he opened the freezer built-in the fridge.

And there they were: Containers filled with Mayura's mouth-watering food!

Bless his beautiful, amazing wife! He would pay her back for coming to his rescue, not even being here. Perhaps, he wouldn't cook a meal on his own for them but he would heat this up and pamper her as soon as she arrived home. Maybe he could heat the bath water for her or give her a message after she was sated. And there were also the fruits he could fry as some sort of a dessert.

Smiling he pulled out a container filled with some sort of sauce. It looked like curry.

Perfect! He would heat this thing up, cook rice and if he had enough time, he would fry the fruits!

Walking to the stove, he began to skip to step four of his strategy.

* * *

She couldn't wait to tell him the news.

Mayura smiled brightly as she walked through the Amawaka estate. He was probably flapping around their living space, waiting for her in worry.

It wasn't exactly her fault, that she was so late today. The meeting she had held hours ago was suddenly interrupted as she was hit by a wave of nausea and lost her consciousness. When she had woken up, people surrounded her. The news about this sudden spectacle had traveled fast through the estate. Yuzuru-san had grinned her, telling her the reason for her sudden fainting.

Funny how she hadn't noticed her body changes sooner. But she'd blamed them on the stress that had kept her busy these last few days.

With tears in her eyes Mayura had searched the faces surrounding her, looking for his. Frowning when she hadn't detected him, she'd asked Yuzuru about his whereabouts. In the end it had turned out no one had updated him about her condition because he had been out of the house the moment it happened.

Now she was happy having the chance to tell him about it herself when they were alone.

Humming she walked towards their private living space. It was an arrangement she had been very obstinate about when they got married. She wanted to have a place to themselves, where they could live like a normal married couple on the mainlands with nobody interrupting all the time. Now that she thought about it, it was probably the reason, this new event had happened so fast and so early in their two months old marriage. They would take advantage and enjoy their privacy very often. Or rather almost every chance they got.

She giggled in happiness. She couldn't wait to see his shocked stare and to watch his composure crumbling down in front of her, when she told him. It was a sight she wasn't gifted with very often. She needed to make the most of it.

When she was getting closer to their place, a stinking smell hit her senses. It etched her nostrils. Coming closer she was enveloped in the biting smell of something burning.

It made her stomach churn in sickness. This was no good right now. This was no good considering her condition. No good at all.

Covering up her mouth and nose, she took a deep breath of some slightly filtered air. Fighting down the sickness, she made her way further to their private space. Now she knew how he felt riding a bus and not being able to get off when he sickness overcame him like a car crash.

After she opened the shoji, she was welcomed by dark screen of smoke that made her eyes water. She stopped breathing and turned away until the largest cloud had past her.

What had happened here?

Worried she scanned the place, searching for the sight of her husband.

She spotted him soon, covered in soot, looking guilty and towering above a pot, from which a small cloud of smoke rose, at their kitchen unit.

Her worry was replaced by shock at seeing him like this. "Shimon! What happened?"

If possible, he was looking even guiltier as he shifted his gaze towards her. "I don't know. I just turned away for a second and suddenly the pot was on fire."

Getting an idea of what had happened, didn't help her from getting agitated. Looking around she took notice of the scene of his crime.

Luckily, the pot was the only thing severely burned. The rest of the room was only covered with a light screen of soot. Nevertheless, she felt a headache starting to rise behind her temples at the thought of clearing up this mess. This was the exact reason, why she had told him, he shouldn't enter the kitchen – ever. Once, when they were younger, she had seen him cook and it was a wonder the Ikaruga estate was still standing after that .

With her mouth agape, she stared at him. He had ignored her warning. And this was the result. "You weren't supposed to touch anything!"

Remorse was painting his face. His eyebrows were bowed in shame. "I wanted to heat your curry."

"Ehhh! The curry from the freezer?" Flabbergasted, she frowned at him. How had he managed to burn that? "But it was frozen and you burned it. Hoooow~?"

"I don't know." With a slight shake of his shoulder, he turned his gaze away from her and looked in the direction of the stove.

He looked as if he was filled with regret as he frowned deeply at the pot in front of him. He reminded her of a small boy receiving his first major telling-off.

Her eyes watered again at the sight of him. She didn't want him to sulk about this. She didn't want anything destroy her mood. Nothing could tarnish this great day. Not even this.

With a huff of breath and a smile she walked towards him. She put a hand on his blackened one and pressed a small peck on his cheek. "It's okay."

"I'm sorry." He turned his head towards her and buried his nose in her hair. She guessed the burned smell must have already soaked into her thick hair but he didn't seem to care as he wrapped his arms around her.

She leaned a little bit back and smiled at him. With a thumb she tried to wipe away a stain of soot, smearing it instead over his cheek in the process. "Come on. Let's clean up this mess."

To gain an overview of the disaster, she took a step back and looked at the bigger picture, devising a plan of action. They would need to let in fresh air first. Then they would clean up the place and themselves afterwards.

And then she would tell him the great news, sharing an hot and soothing bath.

* * *

(1) Yakitori - Grilled chicken pieces.

A/N: Married shimayu action! Yay! I hope it was fun to read.^^


	7. The Silver Lining

A/N: I have a confession to make! Before I worked on Shimayu fanfics, I never wrote anything fluffy or humorous. I am actually more of a tragic and drama writer. So now that I have acquired some followers, I might as well show them another side of my writing that has a high potential on scaring them away.^^ Well, there wasn't high resonance on the last one-shot so maybe this is what you needed! :P This piece isn't that bad though, I think. Tell me, if I left you disappointed with this or if you would like to read more like this.

Warning: For tragedy head this way! Mind your steps!

Prompt: Shimayu Song-fic

Disclaimer: I still don't own the characters. They belong to the great mangaka Sukeno Yoshiaki! The song I used, belongs to Nickelback.

 **The Silver Lining**

The room was a sheet of gray colors, only illuminated by the low light of the moon, breaking through the slits of the drapes. The sound of the wind, brushing against branches and leaves in rushed strokes, reached his ears. He wondered, what time it was. Probably it was very early in the morning.

His back started to hurt from sitting on the floor. But he couldn't return back to bed.

When he had woken up, he had escaped the warm bed, as shame replaced the realization pounding done on him. Choosing the biting coldness of the hard floor over the soft heaven of the bed, he pondered on what he had done.

With a silent moan of pain leaving him, Shimon shifted to get more comfort, crossing one leg on the ground and bending the knee of the other, to lean his head on.

How did he end up in this mess anyway?

She had called him.

Had searched him out.

But they hadn't been a couple.

Not anymore.

She had left him.

 _You call to me, and I fall at your feet  
How could anyone ask for more?  
And our time apart, like knives in my heart  
How could anyone ask for more?_

She had left him months ago.

She had left him in need and desperate love.

It had taken him by surprise. The day Mayura walked away had taken the air from under his wings. It happened all of a sudden and totally unexpected. At least to him.

The day she had left him, would still rewind in his head from time to time, even after weeks – months – had passed.

How often had he stared at a wall and wondered, what he had done that day, the days before to drive her away.

He hadn't known, when or where their relationship had reached its final destination.

Suddenly it had been there, an ultimate truth to swallow. No one had given him the damn notice beforehand. And that had left him filled with so much anger at himself, at her, at bloody everything.

He didn't know, at which point they reached had reached the end line, where they couldn't go on. At which spot on their path had he let her down?

She hadn't told him. She simply walked away. Just like this.

Had packed her things from the drawers on his cupboard, things she had stored there since they practically had spend every night together, and abandoned the life they built together with not much of an explanation.

She had hurt him bad. Burned him down to the small ends that were barely holding him together.

Since that day, he had done nothing else than trying to forget her. Telling himself, she was cruel and heartless. Which he knew, she wasn't. Mayura was a pure and kind soul without a malicious thought. She had been an angel that had stumbled into his life years ago. Before he had known what was happening, he had given his heart to her and she had tended it with her gentle and amiable self.

Regardless, he had tried fiercely to concentrate on these thoughts, to prevent himself from breaking apart. Most of the times he failed miserably though.

 _But if there's a pill to help me forget,  
God knows I haven't found it yet  
But I'm dying to, God I'm trying to_

Now as Shimon sat there on the ground thinking about all the stuff that happened between them, he was filed up with rage yet again.

Why hadn't she told him the reason back then? Why had she had to leave him in doubt and self-loathing?

With a huff of breath, he stared on the shadows crossing the room.

One time he had confronted her. A month had passed since she'd left him. A month that had felt like a year.

Back then she had fed him with a stupid excuse. Had told him, she couldn't live like this anymore. Had explained to him, she couldn't bear the strain of saying goodbye every time one of them went on a mission.

It was true, the life as exorcist was hard on them. There were so many occasion you could die. Every goodbye could be the last. Ever whisper of love might be on the last breath.

But that hadn't kept them from falling in love.

That hadn't kept them from getting together.

And it hadn't stopped them to plan on their future together, despite of what might happen.

In the very moment Mayura had thrown this silly explanation at him, he had known it was a bluff. But she had refused to tell him the truth, even refused to talk to him at all afterwards.

He had known, it hadn't been the reason she left him. And it had been consuming his every thought.

Would he had reacted differently, if he had known the truth, as he did now?

Probably. Probably he would have tried fighting for her, fighting for them.

Instead he had wanted to hate her. He had wished not to love her anymore.

Trying had only left him with more love. More need.

 _'Cause trying not to love you, only goes so far  
Trying not to need you, is tearing me apart  
Can't see the silver lining, from down here on the floor  
And I just keep on trying, but I don't know what for  
'Cause trying not to love you  
Only makes me love you more  
Only makes me love you more_

He had been twisted with pain, with jealousy and with yearning all these months after their break-up.

They had been engaged for a few months, when she chose to walk away. He hadn't seen it coming.

The irony was almost ridiculous funny. Back then he had wanted nothing more to call her his wife soon. He had been excited to marry her, looking forward to it like a silly child looking forward to its birthday. Like a fool he had been in love with the idea of starting a family with her in no time.

Tears rushed to his eyes, as he now thought again about it. Someday they might have had beautiful children, looking like tiny versions of her with a tint of fuchsia in their hair. She should have given them a chance.

Swallowing down the new rush of pain, he chuckled bitterly at his situation. Even months after breaking up, she would sink into his core and twist on his heart just like this. Just by him thinking about it. Thinking about the child that was never born.

When everyone around him had tried to cheer him up, he believed maybe time would heal him. That's what they all said, as Rokuro was getting on his nerves all the time and his family tried to divert his attention to somewhere else.

At times Shimon had wondered, if he was this obvious. He had tried to deny the wound in his chest was still bleeding. He had refused to show it. But that didn't stop everyone from being too damn nicely. Sayo had still been cheering for him and Mayura. Had told him, he just needed to give her time. Keiji, on the other hand, had been trying to distract him with stories becoming more and more like their father. Even the Heavenly Commanders had been sensible about it, helping out on missions Shimon and Mayura would have usually carried out together.

Ridiculously, he had been thankful for the one person treating him like before. Never would he have believed, he would once be grateful for Tenma's teasing. Although it had seemed to Shimon that it was Tenma's own odd form of sympathy.

But all these attempts on distracting him had been futile, as almost every thought rolling through his head was centered on her.

Never before had he noticed, how much he needed her.

He had known he loved her dearly. But this. This was insane. His heart and body ached for her.

Composure. He had once felt proud of him being level-headed and self-controlled. It had been thrown out of the window the moment, she had left him.

And it had been so damn hard to forget her, when he had been forced to see her so often.

Seeing her at every family member meeting.

Seeing her on meetings of the Heavenly Commanders.

Seeing her yesterday, as she stood on the threshold of the Ikaruga estate.

Drenched in rain.

Looking devastated.

 _And this kind of pain, only time takes away  
That's why it's harder to let you go  
And nothing I can do, without thinking of you  
That's why it's harder to let you go_

Oh, how he had tried to forget her.

He had tried so hard. Throwing himself at every mission, he got. Training all day, until his muscles clenched with pain and constricted in exhaustion. Taking a toll on his body until his legs gave out and sleep would finally welcome him.

Unfortunately, it didn't help to forget. It only raised the worry of his family. Giving them more reasons to get onto his nerves.

Sometimes he had wondered, if he should have been thankful of the time she had spend with him?

Had wondered, if the time they had spend together, was enough.

Weren't years of happiness enough to fill a whole lifetime?

Why wasn't it enough?

Why was it, that he couldn't cherish the memories anymore?

Why was it, that their colors were too bright now?

Why was the remembrance of the sound of her laughter piercing his heart like a knife?

How could it be, that the image of her beautiful, blue eyes haunted and hurt him, when it had been his salvation so often before?

 _But if there's a pill to help me forget,  
God knows I haven't found it yet  
But I'm dying to, God I'm trying to_

And to be honest, he had felt like getting insane day by day without her. Once he had imagined her scent lingering on the linen. Cozy and sleepy, he had leaned in, letting the scent soothe him.

His heart had clenched in despair, the moment he'd remembered the truth. The truth that she hadn't lain beside him for months. That it was impossible for her scent to be still there after the cloth had been washed a few times.

Another time he had been even mad enough to imagine her welcoming him home. When he opened the door to his room, he had pictured Mayura waiting for him, sitting on his bed and dressed in only one of his shirts. Wearing that small, bewitching smirk of her's and a gaze filled with love.

He had blamed this illusion on the sake he had been drinking before. But in the back of his mind he had known the reason for this damn fantasy. He just missed her.

The more he had tried not to think about her, the more she was coming back to his mind.

 _It's trying not to love you, only goes so far  
Trying not to need you, is tearing me apart  
Can't see the silver lining, from down here on the floor  
And I just keep on trying, but I don't know what for  
'Cause trying not to love you  
Only makes me love you more_

With a sigh leaving him, Shimon leaned his head back onto the edge of the bed.

How could he ever let go of it? How would he deal with what had happened between them just a few hours ago?

Until yesterday the question of why had tormented his mind. He had wondered and wondered for months, why she had left him. Recalling each and every of moments with her, he searched for the reason. Analyzed every conversation, tried to review each of her smiles from a different angle. Yet. he never reached a sufficing conclusion.

Never would he have guessed the right reason.

At one point he had believed, it had been something he had done. At another he'd thought she had suddenly felt her crush on Rokuro revived. Which was silly because she had told him once, she had never before experienced this kind of love, admitting that her feelings for Rokuro had been a crush, she had blown up on her own. Still he had thought about this possibility.

Following the lines of the beams on the ceiling with his eyes, he felt conflicted. Even knowing the reason made him wonder, why she hadn't told him. Why hadn't she found the courage in her to tell him. Had he possibly done something, that made her believe, she couldn't speak to him about it?

"Why?"

He was surprised by the voice, cutting to the grave silence, that hung in the room, for a second. He was surprised by the darkness distorting the sound of his own voice.

 _So I sit here divided, just talking to myself  
Was it something that I did?  
Was there somebody else?_

Suddenly he heard the sound of shifting blankets behind him. Taking in a deep breath, Shimon prepared himself for the upcoming stroll on his heart.

However, the sound of her fighting back on tears came to him like a direct punch in the heart.

Clenching his fists, Shimon felt angry at himself. He had only himself to blame, even if he hadn't wanted for them to do this.

He hadn't planned for this.

She had called. They had talked. He didn't want this to happen.

He had invited her in. No ill thought had been on his mind, as he had led her to the privacy of his room.

He felt like scum now anyway.

But there had been so much between them. Anger, hurt, devastation, need. He had seen it all reflected in her clear blue eyes. It had killed him on the inside. And so he'd pulled her to him. Had crushed her in a tight embrace, as she had let her tears flow.

And then finally, totally whelmed up in tears, Mayura had told him, the reason she'd left all these months ago.

The shock about what had happened clutched his heart in a lethal grasp.

They had lost what was created between them.

He hadn't known. He hadn't known, she was carrying his child. But she hadn't either until a week before, she'd told him.

In a broken voice, filled with tears, she had confessed to him, that she had wanted to tell him. That she had looked forward to tell him. But then, after loosing, what would have been their child, she couldn't. And it had eaten her up from inside.

She had blurred it all out, choking on the tears streaming down her face, as she'd clung to him in desperation and hurt.

On instinct he had wiped the tears away and kissed the salty trails they left, leading down her cheeks. And on their own their lips met in a searing kiss, mixed with both their tears.

It had been to easy to fall back into the feeling of loving her.

The echo of their once shared intimacy called upon them, mixed with regret and desperation, as they'd made love in a rush of need.

It hadn't felt the same. It hadn't been the same as before, like when they had been blissfully in love with nothing to worry about.

 _When a voice from behind me, that was fighting back tears  
Sat right down beside me, and whispered right in my ear  
Tonight I'm dying to tell you_

What had he done?

He felt sorry.

He was sorry for, what they had done. But he couldn't rewind time. Couldn't stop them now from doing that mistake. Couldn't stop them from making their relationship or not-relationship so much more complicated.

He heard her shift, as he still stared at the ceiling, swallowing down a clump of tears constricting his throat.

Suddenly her voice came to him from his side, weighted with tears and emotions. "I need to tell you..." The sound of a whimper interrupted her. She was obviously struggling with the words, she needed to say, as he patiently waited, not moving a muscle. "It was tearing me apart. Staying away from you. Trying not to need you."

A gasp left his lungs. Was she telling him, she needed him?

With blurred eyes, Shimon turned around, scared and hopeful about, what he would see. Did she want him back?

There she sat. Kneeling on the bed, caught in the low light of the moon and smiling all so beautifully at him. Tears were running down her cheeks, which were tainted with a blush. Her hair was a mess, her eyes were blood rimed because of all the times, she'd cried so far. Her lips were puffed and red from the endless kisses they had shared yesterday night, as neither one of them wanted to let go.

She never had looked more beautiful to him than right now.

He wondered, if this was a trick of his imagination again. If the picture in front of him was nothing more than the projection of his deepest desire. If this could possible be a cruel joke of his fantasy.

In wonder he moved his legs and sat down on his knees in front of the bed. He mustered her from his position on the floor. His mouth felt dry, as he drew in deep breaths with an open mouth, concentrating on her heavenly appearance.

She was looking at him in a mix of hope and fear.

Sucking in another deep breath, he tried to search for words.

Slowly her face twisted. The hope in her eyes vanished.

That wasn't right. It shouldn't be like this.

He should say something.

Instead he stared at her. Stupefied and speechless in face of the miracle, that lay in front of him.

Mayura began to back away. Leaning backwards and gazing at the sheets covering her knees. She raised an arm to cover the rest of her body, as if he had no right to see it anymore.

Swallowing the lump of fear, he climbed over the edge of the bed. Crawling on his arms and legs, he carefully approached her.

He sat on his knees opposite her.

Slowly he shifted closer on the mattress. Afraid to scare off the angel, sitting on his bed.

She did not move.

With more courage he reached a hand out for her's, that was gripping onto the blanket at the moment.

Her gaze shot up to his. Her eyes swam with tears.

Encouraged by the softness of her gaze, Shimon raised his other hand to her cheek, pushing away a lock of her blond-green hair that was sticking to her cheek.

Taking in a deep breath, he gathered the courage to tell her, "I -" He swallowed down his anxiety. There was nothing to fear anymore, was there? "Mayura, I love you. I couldn't stop even if I tried."

With a choke of breath, she threw herself at him all of a sudden.

His heart jumped at the sheer joy that consumed him. He pulled her closer to him, wrapping her up in his arms, while gently caressing her soft hair with his fingers. Her scent, lavender mixed with an hint of vanilla, made his heart flutter in pure happiness. His lips lifted to an almost goofy smile, as he bathed in the delight of having her in his life again.

They shared the warm embrace till the first rays of sunlight broke through the drapes in front of the window, comforting each other.

They would grow stronger together.

They would face the consequences of the past together.

They would mourn for their unborn child together.

They would build a future together.

With a new destiny ahead and his again-soon-to-be wife in his arms, he couldn't think about anything, they couldn't overcome.

Filled with love, he turned his head to seal her lips with his.

He planned to make love to her again. But this time slowly. Savoring each second together from now on for the rest of their lives.

 _That trying not to love you, only went so far  
Trying not to need you, was tearing me apart  
Now I see the silver lining, of what we're fighting for  
And if we just keep on trying, we could be much more  
'Cause trying not to love you  
Oh, yeah, trying not to love you  
Only makes me love you more  
Only makes me love you more_

A/N: *caugh* Well, what can I say? I've warned you, didn't I? … Okay, wait! I'm sorry. Where are you going? Please, don't unfollow me! XD

This was the first song-fic, I ever published. I think, it's good for inspiration to listen to a song, but I'm not sure, if you need the lyrics or if they are kinda interrupting the flow. Besides you could switch the lyrics with another song... Not sure. But I am actually thinking about another Songfic (a positive one).


	8. The Spring of Love

A/N: Happy White Day! Have a nice One-Shot fit to the occasion!

This is another spin-off of "The Purity of White seems to be Red". It plays in the future of that universe, a month after "The Sweet Aroma of Love" (Chapter 5 of this collection).

I managed to weave in a prompt! Be patient with me. I have a long list to work on but I'll try to work on all of them.^^

prompt: "how [Shimon] interacts with Sayo when they're alone with each other other than the angsty background she has" by TailGatomonX3

 **The Spring of Love**

"How long is it going to take?"

Ikaruga Shimon, Heavenly Commander since almost five years, didn't fear much. There were only a few times, he remembered, having ever been scared. Being a level-headed person he was proud to be unshaken by most things. But now...

Now, he was scared and anxious about failing.

Thinking about it, the first time Shimon had ever been scared to death, had been, when he was actually facing his own, believing, he would never return to reality and see his foster-family again. He had been saved by Amawaka Seigen back then, who from this day onward became his idol.

The second time he was scared to his bones, had been when he nearly lost his little sister, Ikaruga Sayo. He had shook in fear for her life as he'd tried to heal the deep wound Hijimaru had caused on her. Never before and never after had he been so close to loose his reason, his faith and will with the threat of his sister's life. He could have lost everything back then. But thanks to Enmadou Rokuro his sister was saved and so was his reason to go on.

Then there had been the time he nearly lost _her_. Fear had clutched him in a lethal grip as he came closer and closer to the idea of loosing her forever, of not being able to tell her, what she meant to him, not being able to tell her, he was sorry for ignoring her. Not being able to see her awe-inspiring smile again.

The moment Mayura was saved, had been his salvation. And now that he thought about it, it had led up to today. Not only had he admitted his feelings in their full range to himself. The day she smiled again at him had be the start of something new. And he had never turned back. He had stopped denying his feelings for her and instead had waited for the day to tell her about them. Back then he hadn't known it was coming sooner than he would have hoped for.

And it was fine now. Shimon had managed to go through all these events without a crack. He had regained his composure like he did every time. He had focused on being an exorcist, a brother, a son and a friend.

But as he faced now an unknown challenge, he started to see, that not only life threatening situations can make you scared.

"Relax, Ni ni-sama. It has to cool down now," Chiiko told him as they both watched over the result of their day's hard work.

For hours Shimon had tried to make an enjoyable sample of white chocolate pralines with her help. Never would he have imagined, that melting chocolate could be such a difficult task. And he now wished, he had chosen another plan for a nice gift on White Day.

The first patch had been ruined, when they had directly burned the chocolate, not stirring the chocolate enough.

After throwing away the stinking mass and clearing up the bowl, they had again tried to melt white chocolate. Luckily they had bought more than two kilograms of white chocolate bars because they were newbies on the melting chocolate issue.

The second time they had stirred the bowl too much. The boiling water had swept over the rim of the pot swimming in the water, as Shimon swung the whisk in quick waves.

Unsure of what to do, they had looked at each other in surprise for a moment. Chiiko then had told him to stir the chocolate again and that the water may dissolve in steam.

Unfortunately, it didn't. Instead, as he'd continued to stir, the chocolate had formed itself into a hard clump. When he lifted the whisk a much more darkened, yellowish and sticky lump stuck to it.

Chiiko had stared looked at him accusingly, as if he had anything to do with it, standing next to him like a commander of a mission squad with her hands stemmed into her hips.

How did the chocolate end up like this anyway?

On third try, everything had looked well. They had complimented themselves for not screwing up again. There hadn't been much chocolate left to melt anyway.

Content with their work, they'd filled the chocolate into small heart shaped hollows of a pink silicon form – something Chiiko had insisted on since Mayura had given him a large heart as well. He would have preferred the normal round ones but Chiiko had been obstinate about it.

After waiting for the chocolate to turn cold and taking it out of their form, Shimon had appreciated their work with satisfaction. He had thought, she was going to like it and that he had nothing to worry about. But he had been wrong.

Clueless of his looming doom, he had looked forward to today's date with Mayura. He had replaced the hideous, dotted apron – he should not do everything Chiiko forced him to – and the comfortable clothes beneath with something more suitable for a date.

Just when he had put his glasses back on after he had slipped a black pullover over his head, Chiiko's sudden scream had made him flinch with fear.

Running towards the direction from where the scream was emitted, he had run into the kitchen of the Ikaruga main estate. He hadn't been the only person who came running to save her.

Standing in the kitchen servants and family members all must have wondered about her looking with a slightly depressed gaze at a pile of small chocolate hearts. Small white chocolate hearts that had a white, frizzy coating around them, almost looking like mold.

Shocked he had shifted his gaze onto her again, after he detected the reason for her sudden outburst. "Why do they look like this?"

She had looked up at him with tears in her eyes, looking so small in front of the kitchen isle standing on a stool to watch over the chocolate, dressed in a blue yukata (1). "I don't know."

"Shimon-sama, Sayo-sama, may I give you an advice on the chocolate?" Kaede, an old, nice lady and loyal servant, had asked. (2)

Shimon had looked at Chiiko again. Their gazes had met over the shameful result of their work. They both had believed they could manage something as easy as melting chocolate alone. But in that moment they had to admit, they had failed.

"You may," Shimon had nodded at the good old Kaede.

"Don't heat the chocolate too much. It will look like it does now, if you do."

"Oh. I didn't know that," a small blush rose to his cheeks, as he had been forced to accept his failure in preparing himself for the task. He should have known better and should have informed himself not only about melting chocolate beforehand but on possible negative results, too. "Thank you."

After everyone left the room, Chiiko and him had continued to work on a forth patch. Slowly melting the chocolate with less heat this time, it had taken a large a long while until it was ready to be poured into the form.

In comparison to the three earlier patches, this one was rather small because they hadn't had much chocolate left to melt.

And it just wouldn't cool down while he ran out of time now.

With his hands buried in the pockets of his trousers, Shimon looked at the clock on the kitchen's wall. It was almost 4 pm. She was coming soon. And he would surely disappoint her.

Now he wondered, if it haven't his best of ideas to return the favor she did him on Valentine's Day. Maybe he should have stuck to his first idea of giving her one of his bonsai plants. But that had seemed too easy since they were already there.

Or perhaps he should have just bought something again like he did for her birthday. But when she had handed him the big chocolate heart, he had felt deeply moved because she had gone through the trouble of making it herself.

He had wanted to repay her for her kind and considerate gift.

A gift that not only was heart-felt but also had tasted like heaven.

Now that he thought of it: Was it lame he was going to give her self-made chocolate as a present? But it was traditional to give chocolate back, right? And she wouldn't break up with him because he couldn't give her a proper present, would she? She wasn't that shallow.

In annoyance he clicked his tongue. These thoughts wouldn't get him anywhere. He should have just bought something instead of making himself feel anxious about something simple like this.

"Can't it cool down faster?" He looked at the liquid chocolate in the form reflecting the light from the lamp over the stove with a solid gaze.

"It won't, even if you stare at it," Chiiko watched him with a small smirk, while she knelt on the wooden stool being almost eye to eye with him.

He sighed still feeling anxious about giving Mayura a form full of white chocolate hearts. Fifteen chocolate heart that currently refused to cool down.

"Stop looking so serious, Ni ni-sama. I'm sure, she'll like it." Chiiko looked at him with a sweet smile, that automatically pulled at the corners of his lips. His sweet, little sister was always full of hope.

"You two have been here all day," a third voice joined the conversation. Keiji, wearing a white, spotless shirt, walked into the kitchen and looked at Chiiko and him; and at the chocolate sitting on top of the kitchen isle between them. He then cheerfully blinked an eye at Shimon. "You really want to impress her, don't you?"

"Probably not with this." Shimon bestowed another gaze at the product of their hard work all day and was bitterly disappointment. Mayura and him were celebrating their first White Day as a couple and he was ruining it by handing her over next to nothing, a handful of white chocolate hearts that hopefully weren't ruined this time.

Keiji followed his gaze and lifted his eyebrow, smiling nicely. "I am sure she will appreciate it, after I tell her you fussed about it all day."

Hell no. Of course Keiji wouldn't shy away from the option of teasing him. With a low voice Shimon tried to take some damage control. "Could you just not tell her?"

Chiiko giggled, leaning over the kitchen isle with her face leaned on her hands. A smile bloomed on her face as she watched over the chocolate. "I am glad Ni ni-sama found someone he would something like this for. That's why I kept a careful eye on him making the chocolate."

Again Shimon looked at the result of their attempts to make chocolate hearts but restrained himself on making a comment on it. Her words weren't the best solution to stop Keiji's teasing but he was still thankful Chiiko seemed to be on his side and wouldn't join her eldest brother's teasing. Also he knew, that Chiiko was truly glad he and Mayura had found each other. In the morning hours of the day he fully embraced his feelings for the first time, she had told him, what it truly meant for her. It had been a confession, that had choked him with tears."Thank you Chiiko."

"I can't wait for the day, they'll marry," she exclaimed with a dreamy smile.

Wait. What now?

Marry? His face felt like burning up while he tried not to imagine, how it would be to marry Mayura. They have been dating for only half a year now. "Oi! Don't say things like that."

Obviously ignoring him, Chiiko continued her wishful thinking with that bright smile still being eminent on her face. "But you would have to marry on the Ikaruga estate so Chiiko (3) can be there. Okay Ni ni-sama?"

Keiji laughed at Chiiko and sat down on a stool opposite of her. "Considering how Shimon works, it might take a long while for him to propose."

Why did he have to suffer through this? When he had started dating Mayura, he had believed his siblings would stop teasing him since he openly admitted his feelings for Mayura. Now they have seemed to find a new reason to tease him. With his cheeks feeling like they were on fire, he tried to stay focused and calm – at least on the outside. He retrieved his hands from the pockets of his trousers as he rose them in defeat. "Please stop."

Chiiko looked at Keiji with a warm smile. "I pray every day for Aizen Myoo (4) to make it quick."

"You do what?" Shocked Shimon stared at her. She had told him once she would pray to Aizen Myoo when Shimon had left to meet Mayura, before they were actually dating. But that had been months ago. He wondered how long she prayed for them to get married.

Keiji's face broke into a bright smile while he looked at Chiiko and pointedly ignored Shimon's shocked state. "Maybe I should start praying, too. Who knows? Maybe we'll get to attend their wedding in the course of this year."

Seriously what was wrong with having normal siblings that didn't love to poke at his vulnerable spots and embarrassing him? "Are you two ignoring me on purpose?"

Chiiko rose her head and leaned towards Keiji. "That would be so great! I can imagine Mayu would be looking so beautiful on their wedding day."

It didn't help, that Shimon had an easy time imagining it, too. A satin kimono in soft colors embracing her form prettily and her eyes shining with happiness like a sea reflecting the sun.

His heart fluttered at picturing her like that and he had to suppress the goofy smile that wanted to form itself on his face.

With a gaze at the clock he wondered, if he had time to retrieve his headphones to listen to something, that would clear his head again, while his siblings discussed his hypothetical wedding day. But there wasn't.

"What are you talking about?" Her voice suddenly reached his eyes from somewhere behind him.

His anxiety about handing her the gift was totally gone, when the reason for it was standing behind him. But the anxiety didn't just disappear but left fear as its substitute. While he was afraid before, he was now fighting the panic rising within him thanks to the knowledge that the present was still unfinished.

Oddly he remembered now the fourth time he had been utterly scared. It had been when Mayura decided to tell her father about their relationship and insisted on him being there, too. Well, it had been rather Mayura telling – mumbling – the news to Seigen-san than him. Being frightened – terrified – about his former teachers reaction, he had been frozen to the spot. He hadn't moved a muscle trying to endure Seigen-san glaring daggers at him.

Now he felt very similar to that day.

He knew it was silly and foolish to feel like this but he couldn't help himself.

What was it with the Amawakas wielding so much power over him?

Shimon looked at his siblings in a silent plea with his back still facing Mayura.

Keiji directly jumped to his rescue, rising from the stool and walking towards her. "Mayura-chan, good to see you. You look pretty, a true compliment to the eye. No wonder, my little brother couldn't wait to see you all day as he fussed over his White Day's gift for you." Or not.

Slowly Shimon turned around. There she stood in front of his brother. Keiji's compliment had been insufficient in capturing her whole beauty. She looked soft and fresh, dressed in a white pullover over a light yellow skirt and matching stockings. Her soft blonde hair reflected the sunlight coming through the window. The blue sea eyes of her eyes shined. She reminded him of a sunny morning in spring.

When her eyes skipped away from his brother over to him, her eyes brightened bathing him in happiness. A radiant smile appeared on her lips and her cheeks grew a small tint of red intensifying the lovely picture from before. "Hi."

Even after all these months they had been dating, he couldn't believe this was a gaze, she only held for him.

Dumbfounded he looked at the beauty in front of him. How could he even think about handing her something simple as chocolate?

"Hello Mayu." Chiiko said from behind him in a loud voice. "Ni ni-sama, won't you say something?"

His little sister was right. He should say something and stop staring at her. This turned out to become a serious problem of his. "Ah. Yes, hi. Who let you in?"

Mayura looked taken aback, the very moment he realized, how it must have sounded. With a knitted eyebrow she mustered him. "A servant. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He looked at her for a while, ashamed of having sounded rude. He grabbed onto the little composure he had left in him putting on a solid face.

Nobody talked for a few seconds. The mood was started to grow thick, when Keiji cleared his throat to get some attention. "I think Sayo and me shall better leave you two alone now." Shimon looked over his shoulder and watched him walk to Chiiko and holding a hand out to her. "Come on Sayo. Let's go."

"But I wanna see, what happens," Chiiko complained sulking.

Keiji bowed to her and said with a smile. "If you don't leave them for themselves, your wish might never come true."

Realization crossed her face. "You're right." Taking Keiji's hand she jumped of the stool with a smile. She turned around towards Mayura and him and winked at them. "Later Mayu! Later Ni ni-sama!"

Both his siblings went off quickly and it was only him and Mayura now standing in front of each other in the kitchen of the Ikaruga main house.

Shimon sighed. The noises had exponentially lessened with his nosy siblings being gone. Now he was left alone with Mayura and the silence.

Looking at her, he saw her smiling again. "What's Sayo-chan's wish?"

"Uh. Never mind." His face started to feel warm again as he pushed against the rising picture of her in a wedding kimono in his head. It was way too soon to think about things like that.

Her face turned bore a suspicious look now as she slightly frowned at him. "Okay then." Having said that her former expression changed again. A lovely smile formed onto her face. "I wish you a happy White Day, Shimon."

"Happy White Day. I actually have something for-" He turned around and looked at the form resting on top of the kitchen isle. The chocolate still looked to soft. This was embarrassing. "Actually, I'm not sure."

"About what?" She blinked her eyes at him.

He felt like fidgeting. But he wouldn't let it overcome him. Burying his hands into the pockets of his trousers, he skipped his gaze away from her. "It's stupid."

"Tell me about it?" Mayura leaned her head to the side to get his attention and looked at him from under her eyelashes.

For a moment he wondered, if she knew, it was a gaze that would disarm him in a split of a second. He sighed and grabbed the silicone form. It budged in his hands, a obvious proof, the chocolate was still soft and elastic. "I wanted to make white chocolate for you. But this is the result-"

She softly looked at the pink silicon form with shining white chocolate in his hands. "It looks nice."

Of course she was being polite and kind because it was in her nature but Shimon knew this unfinished gift wasn't a proper one for their first White Day. "Don't say things like that. I know, this isn't the present you hoped for."

Her soft gaze grew hard as she looked at him like a parent would scolding her child and waved a finger in front of him. "First of all, I didn't come here to get a present but to be with you," Her eyes turned kind and lovely again, "and secondly I love it."

"You do?"

She softly giggled. "I do. I know you cannot cook, Shimon. And if you actually managed to make this, it is proof enough you worked hard on it."

Shimon smiled at her in gratitude. Every inch of anxiety and fear that had filled him moments before was now gone. He was truly grateful, she liked it.

With a voice filled with tenderness she added, "Thank you, Shimon for going through the trouble."

"Thank you, too, for accepting this as a present at all," he replied.

A soft laugh left her. "Wanna share?"

His gaze skipped down onto the not even half solid mass in the form. "It's gonna take a while until it's finished."

"I don't mind it not being hard. How about we use spoons?"

Nodding in agreement, he handed her the form with the fifteen chocolate hearts to get two spoons.

When he turned around to her again, his heart literally stopped beating for a second. He watched her dipping a finger into the melted chocolate and rising it to her lips to suck on it.

Clenched his fingers into fists, he tried to control the sudden storm of raging emotions within him. Most of them were inappropriate and making him feel very uncomfortable right now.

Never before had a girl evoked such feelings inside of him. Until Mayura stumbled into his life, these kind of feelings, which were eating away his composure, had been unknown to him.

"Mmmhh... I like it when it's melted," she lightly murmured.

Was she trying to kill him?

Probably it was just Mayura being Mayura. His beautiful and innocent Mayura, that had no idea about her effect on the male part of humanity.

Yet, that knowledge didn't help him from barely escaping an heart-attack. Neither did it help him chasing away the emotions, she had awoken in him.

"Do you want to eat it here or shall we go somewhere else?"

She seemed to be oblivious to his inner struggles. Another thing he was grateful for.

Regaining some of his self-control, he recalled a part of the plan he had originally devised for this day. "I thought about going outside. The weather's nice today."

Sitting down on the veranda surrounding the main house, they watched over the gardens of the Ikaruga estate. The beginning of spring painted the growing grass in a light green, flowers rose again in the wake of a new life and the trees were decorated with young leaves starting their journey.

The soothing scent of flowers and grass surrounded them. In comfortable silence they shared the sweet white chocolate, that had now turned into a creamy texture.

It wasn't bad at all. The white chocolate tasted nicely. But in his head Shimon already devised a plan on what he would give her as a gift next time that wouldn't end into a catastrophe.

"You know, this would be a nice tradition," Mayura said gently, pulling him out of his planning.

"Hm?"

"For White Day. Sitting on the veranda, eating white melted chocolate." A small smile grazed her face as she looked over the gardens.

He returned her soft smile. "At least I know how to melt it without burning now."

She laughed, warmly and honestly.

Stupefied he looked at her in awe. His heart beat fast in his chest as he watched her laughing. She was so beautiful. When she laughed her whole face lit up.

With a short nod he leaned towards her. His hand rose to trace her chin to tilt her head.

His lips begged to kiss her and he followed their command when she leaned into him.

She tasted like white chocolate. Making kissing her even more sweetly.

Slowly he brushed his lips against her's. A soft sigh left her, opening up for him.

Tracing her lips with his tongue, his heart started to race.

Slowly exploring her mouth, he scooted closer. She welcomed him by deepening the kiss accompanied with a sigh.

His nerves started to tingle. Warmth spread through him as he was lost to her kiss.

When he felt her fingers gripping hard into his shoulder, he carefully started to back away. They were both new on this field, handling these unfamiliar sensations for the first time. He didn't want them to take it to far too fast, too soon.

A low mumble escaped her, when he shifted away to make room between them again.

With his heart still thundering in his chest, he readjusted his glasses which had slipped down his nose a little bit.

He looked at her just in time to see her fluttering her eyes open and watched the beautiful sea of her eyes being flooded by a storm of emotion, pulling at his heart strings.

Would he ever stop falling for her?

He already missed the feeling of her lips moving against his.

Being in love made him feel like a fool, but at least he was a happy one. "Sounds like a nice tradition."

* * *

(1) Yukata - a simple form of a kimono worn by women

(2) Kaede - my first OC because I needed one for this scene. I am sorry!^^

(3) Chiiko sometimes calls herself by her own name. It's a childish form to speak about oneself in the Japanese language (at least it is used by childish characters as far as I know!^^)

(4) Aizen Myoo - a Wisdom king (third kind of deity in Buddhism) known to transform earthly desires, love and lust, into spiritual awakening. Sayo prayed for Aizen Myoo when Shimon and Mayura went on their not-a-date in Chapter 10 of "The Purity of White seems to be Red"

A/N: \o/ **Happy White Day, everybody!** \o/

Hope you liked this little treat!^^

Next prompt: "mayura and shimon announcing their relationship to either seigen or shimon's family (or both XD)" by luringsirensvoice


	9. Much Ado About Something

A/N: Thanks to a request, I finished this before Chapter 16, which I'll update soon, too^^

You might wonder about the title. The plot has less to do with the Shakespearean play _Much Ado About Nothing_. It's just that I love double meaning and this secrecy and playful banter, that reminded me of it. Actually Beatrice and Benedick are my favorite couple of the Shakespeare universe. They are wittier than I could make Shimon and Mayura though and their interactions would rather fit RokuBeni. Maybe someday I'll write an adaption AU. Well, I better stop rambling now. XD

This again is set in the universe of "Purity" because at least to me it's easier to imagine them being together since they are almost there. Almost... *sigh*

Prompts: "maybe about mayura and shimon announcing their relationship to either seigen or shimon's family (or both XD)" - luringsirensvoice

"I would like to see seigen-San glare daggers to shimon for Taking his daughter lol." - Shipper

"just wondering when we will see papa tiger overprotective mode" - Awayuki

 **Much Ado About Something**

"What do you mean 'Tell him'?" He had a hard time focusing. Why was she bringing this up now of all possible times?

"Just what I've said," she told him from her position below.

He evaded an attack. Focusing his power again. It still hurt from time to time. He still faced the repercussions for saving her. But if he hadn't done it, she might have been lost forever. And then he wouldn't have experienced these last few months together with her. Which brought him back to the subject at hand. "I would have thought, you told him already."

From her position below, Mayura stroke down on the enemy in front of her. With an awful yell the impurity burst into a thousand pieces, as Mayura buried her claws in it. "There was no opportunity."

Disbelief filled his head. No opportunity? But- "It's been almost six months!"

She attacked two other impurities, slicing them up from afar. "I wanted to tell him in person and I haven't been home almost a year."

Letting his gaze slide over the battlefield, Shimon spotted a group of C- and B-class impurities at eleven o'clock. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. He would pierce them with the blade of his wings.

"Sekitei mugen byoufu. Kyuu kyuu nyo ritsu ryou." Thirty-six blades flew towards the enemies. Six blades pierced through the vital points of every impurity, making them dissolve at once.

Calling back his blades, he turned to the battle noises, as Mayura took down one impurity after another.

Watching her, he now understood why she chose this situation out of all possible scenarios to ask him this. If he had been comfortable at home, it would have been easier to deny her request. Now thanks to their mission, he had less time thinking about it. That's why in the middle of the battle she had suddenly asked him if he would accompany her to the mainlands to tell her father about their relationship – after six months. Flying closer, he told her. "He will punish us. Or maybe just me because you're his daughter."

After finishing off the last off impurities surrounding her, she smiled cheekily at him. "So does this mean, you're coming?"

Once more he let his gaze run over the battlefield of Magano and saw the rest of their squad taking down, their smaller share of impurities. From his position he could hear one of them say something about an old married couple.

With a warm face Shimon sank down to earth, after he confirmed the last of enemies being defeated. She stood only a few feet away from him and watched him with a seemingly innocent smile. After six month in their relationship she had discovered, that he had no weapon against her playfulness. He still wasn't used to this kind of behavior and had his problems to adept. So he did the only thing he could do: He looked at her with a scrutinizing and folded his arms.

"Is that a yes?" She leaned towards him. Her enamored arms were crossed behind her back while she smiled oh so sweetly at him.

He sighed defeated. She bested him yet again. Reluctantly he admitted defeat with a low voice. "Yeah."

She smiled brightly at him, while he just hoped, he would make it to the island back in one piece.

* * *

"So we are actually doing this?" Worry was written all over his face.

She really didn't know, why he made a fuss about it now. It had been a long time coming. "Don't make more of it than it is."

Shimon leaned a bit back, mustering her with a frown. "We are seriously doing this?"

If he would continue to question it, she would grow more and more nervous about it, too. "Don't fret so much. We're doing it quick, so it won't hurt so much."

He sighed and looked very bothered. "Easy for you to say. It's less straining for you."

She hated the idea of him being bothered by this. Sure, it might not go perfect and it might not be as relieving as they might think it would be, but they would never know, if they didn't just do it. And talking about it, made the matter worse. "If you think too much about it, it won't go smooth."

He started to scowl. His icy blur eyes were squeezed into a harsh frown. "Don't blame me. You rubbed it in too much on the way."

At times Mayura would find that scowl to be cute. Right now it was adding to her own insecurities about what they were about to do. "If you hadn't been so scared, I wouldn't have felt the need to touch it at all. We could have just made the trip without talking about it." She sighed. Maybe this hadn't been the best of ideas. Maybe it was too soon for both of them.

She watched him. He had his head turned away. She really didn't like were this conversation was going. Since they've got together, they've never gotten into a real fight. And right now this might be a situation, that would lead into their first fight. She hated his accusations and she hated having to talk about this at all. She really didn't want them to fight. So she wondered, if she should steer the conversation into another direction.

Watching him sitting on a bench beside her sulking, was actually pretty funny. He had yet to notice himself, that she helped him out in some ways. "Besides you should thank me."

He didn't move. Just his gaze traveled towards her and came to rest, when it met her eyes. Carefully he inquired, "What for?"

She pointed down to the ground below with a finger, drawing his attention to the white, polished surface of the deck, they were currently sitting on. "You haven't felt motion-sick for a while now, have you?"

The nausea seemed to hit him at once as his face turned green. With a hand in front of his mouth he said, "Yua efil"

Leaning to the side, he held his head over the railing.

It wasn't like she wanted to torture him or loved to watch him being miserable thanks to his motion sickness. She had just been aggravated and maybe she had wanted to punish him a little bit.

Thankfully they had spend most of their trip bickering, so it was only mere minutes until the boat would stop at their destination. She saw the wide shore a few hundred meters away with the skyline of Tokio towered over the coast.

A gong suddenly came to the loud speakers. A crackling male voice told them: "Dear passengers, due to a congestion at the harbor, our passage will be delayed by a few minutes. We sincerely apologize for this circumstances."

Oh dear. So much for not torturing Shimon.

With quick moves Mayura pulled out a tissue and a bottle of water and soaked the cloth a little bit, holding it out for him, while she inwardly gave herself a lecture about how not to make your boyfriend suffer.

After tending to him for the next half an hour until the boat reached the harbor, she felt exhausted. This wasn't how she planned this thing at all and she still felt bad about Shimon.

They left the boat with him leaning on her and still looking green in the face.

Now they were running late. She had told her mother on the phone that they would make it in time to dinner. It was half past one already and they had no chance at catching the next bus on time which was actually good regarding Shimon's condition. If she dragged him now on yet another vehicle, he would be sick for hours.

Instead she chose to draw out her phone and type her mother a message, while leading Shimon to a bench outside the harbor. Telling her mother they would run late and would need to take another route, she figured they could walk into the city and use the subway. It was quick and would bring them at least into the quarter, in which her old house was. Walking from the station towards home would take another thirty minutes but at least Shimon would by then be fine again.

While handing him the bottle of water, her phone beeped.

 _That's okay, honey. Should I change the bed in your room for you and your boyfriend?_

Heat exploded in her face, when she read the message. She had told her mother about her relationship with Shimon very soon after they got together. One reason was, that she wanted to share it with her mother, who had always been her attachment figure. Secondly she couldn't have kept it a secret even, if she had tried. As if her mother had smelled it, she had known Mayura was in a relationship at the first call after Shimon and her had confessed to each other. Luckily her father didn't possess this kind of superpowers.

But since then her mother had often confronted her with embarrassing questions and funny ideas like this one. Mayura wondered, if her mother was seriously asking or just teasing her. With swift movements of her thumb she typed her answer, _One set on my bed and one in the guest room would be fine. Thank you, Okasan._

When her mother had been obstinate about them staying at least for one night, Mayura hadn't thought about this scenario. She had thought, her Okasan would set them in different rooms on her own. For what reason did they have a guest room, when it wasn't even used at this single occasion?

Mayura sighed. If her mother wanted to play match-maker, it would complicate the matter at hand: Telling her father, that Shimon and she dated.

Turning around to Shimon, she saw him still fighting against the nausea. The extended boat trip had obviously taken its toll on him. Guilt ran through her again like lightening strike.

She walked up to him. "How are you?"

Anger crossed his face. "I hate feeling like this."

Sympathy and compassion made her kneel in front of him and grabbing for his hand clutched into the right leg of his trousers. "Do you think you can manage a short ride on the subway?"

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I thought, we would take the bus."

She blinked a playful eye at him to lift his spirits. "Change of plans. We will take the subway and walk from the station."

A small smile formed on his face, almost elusive but she could see it in the shine of his eyes. "Thank you."

She raised again and smiled at him. "You're welcome. Come on, let's go."

The rest of their trip worked as planned. The ride on the subway was short enough as not to strengthen his motion-sickness. Walking from the station to her house gave him the opportunity to get well again. Finally he was in almost good spirits. Not good, as it could be because they still had to face the reason for their visit to the mainlands.

At least from her point of view it helped, knowing Shimon would be able to support her, when they told Otosan the six-month old "news". A fact she would try to circumvent. It wasn't that she had meant to keep it for so long a secret to her father. She had just passed every possible occasion telling him. After talking to him for the sixth time and not telling him, she had wondered herself, why she wasn't able to let him know the news. Truth was, she wanted to speak to him in person, she had wanted to see her parents again. And this gave her a reason to do so.

While they walked through the suburbs of Narukami now, the house finally came to her sight.

A train of emotions rolled through her, when she laid eyes on the neatly white building, which she left almost a year ago, with its screeching garden gate. Longing, anticipation and happiness knitted a close-meshed net within her.

The speed of her steps accelerated and when she stood on the door steps after ringing the bell, she couldn't fight against the excitement to see her parents again.

It felt like an eternity dripped by until someone answered the door.

Suddenly the image of her smiling mother stood within the frame.

The breath, she didn't know she was holding, left her and she threw herself in the welcoming arms of her mother.

Tears of sadness and relief formed in her eyes, while her mother caressed her back in gentle strokes. She had missed her mother so much. Talking to her over the phone could not compare to the comport and safety her smile and arms brought.

After a while Mayura felt silly, behaving like a small child at the first sight of her mother. Happy and embarrassed she leaned back and brushed away the tears running down her face.

Looking at her mother, she saw tears streaming down the other woman's face, too.

A small giggle left her. Maybe she wasn't being silly at all.

From over the shoulders of her mother she spotted her father, standing in the shades of the frame and looking uncomfortable at the scene she and her mother had caused.

She smiled looking at their parents behaving like usually. This was home. "Hello Otosan and Okasan."

Her mother leaned her head to her side and smiled. "Mayura, just look at you. You look lovely." She reached out for Mayura's hair that had by now grown to her collar bones. "Have you grown your hair?"

Mayura nodded while her cheeks grew warm at her mother's compliments. Her mother then stepped aside and looked at Shimon who was behind her, patiently waiting for his turn to address her parents.

Taking a step back, Mayura went to stand besides him again.

Being open and honest like she was her mother directly spoke to him. "Finally we meet. I'm Mayura's mother, Otomi Yukari."

Shimon bowed, "My name is Ikaruga Shimon. It's nice meeting you, Otomi-san."

"There is no need to be so formal. Just call me Yukari," her mother chanted in a sweet voice that was like honey and milk.

Shimon nodded at her mother and replied, "Thank you." Then he skipped his gaze over to her father who looked disinterested. "Hello, Seigen-san."

"Shimon~." Her father nodded at him before his gaze skipped over to her, while he didn't move his head. His face twisted slightly, telling her all she needed to now. "Mayura, you-"

"It's good to see you, too, Otosan." Mayura helped him out.

He looked at her for a few more seconds before turning around and walking inside.

They ate dinner with her mother leading most of the conversation, asking Mayura about her life on the island, if she met a lot of nice people and how school was. Most of the things Mayura had already told her in their many calls but she enjoyed talking to her mother face to face so much she understood, why her mother didn't stop asking. Then her mother turned to Shimon asking him all kinds of questions about himself, which he calmly answered.

When they sat down in the living room, her mother served them tea. Her father sat on the coach, spreading his legs from him and looking laid-back. Shimon and her sat across from him.

Nervously Mayura nibbled on her lips. She knew it was now or never. But she had a hard time working up the courage.

Looking over to Shimon, she saw that he wasn't dealing with the imminent doom any other way as he stared hard at her father.

"Oi, would you two spit it out, already~", her father drawled. "You both look too suspicious. What's going on?"

Again she looked at Shimon for help but his gaze didn't change. It was still strained and focused on Otosan. Mayura sighed. She probably had to do this herself. "Actually we wanted to tell you something."

Her father didn't move a muscle, as he looked at her to continue.

She swallowed down her anxiety and muttered, "Shimon and I, we a-are..." Her fingers fumbled with the rim of her skirt and she looked down.

"You're~?"

Time to pull the trigger.

She took a deep breath and mumbled as quickly as possible, "We're dating."

Carefully she raised her eyes again and saw her father sending Shimon a dark glare with an upright posture. Oh crap.

Shimon on the other hand still looked at Seigen without moving a muscle. But she could see a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead.

Her fingers tightened into fists, clenching onto her skirt. She feared the answer of her father, who looked anything but happy. Was he going to forbid their relationship? Was he disappointed in them? There were a lot of things she would do for the sake of her parents. But breaking up with Shimon – that was a thing she couldn't even fathom to do.

Her father turned his head again towards her. She felt the strike of his glare but chose not to waver. She had dealt with a lot of his glares growing up. Looking straight into his eyes, she waited for his final reply, while praying, that he wouldn't think about forcing them to break up.

The darkness in his gaze vanished all of a sudden. "And~?"

Shocked she felt like falling over. "Huh? What do you mean with 'and'?"

"Anything else you want to share?" Her father drawled in a monotone voice.

Still surprised she leaned towards. The clench of her fist loosened. "Aren't you angry?"

He leaned back again and looked to the side. "Why would I be? I am not hyped, you have a boyfriend, but it was ought to happen someday. And I know him, he wouldn't do something improper.~"

Relieved Mayura's mood brightened extensively. With a smile and a more confident voice, she asked, "Seriously?"

Her father nodded faintly and skipped his gaze towards the young man sitting next to her. "Besides he looks like a goner anyway~"

Irritated she looked at Shimon, who seemed to have drifted off to space, as he still stared at Seigen.

Ehhh?!

Staring at her motionless boyfriend, she barely noticed her mother, walking into the room after having finished washing the dishes with a fourth cup of tea. Mayura wondered, if she should check, if Shimon was still breathing, while her mother sat down next to her father.

"Oi Yukari, did you hear the news from over there~?" She heard her father's voice from the off as she mustered Shimon for some sort of reaction.

"I didn't, what news?" Her mother asked in her lullaby voice.

"Our daughter is dating this guy.~"

"Oh that. I had known since they started dating."

Wait. What? Mayura's focus shifted away from her boyfriend to the conversation between her parents.

"Huuuhh~?" With a scowl on his face her father skipped his gaze between Shimon and her. "And when was that?"

Trying to intervene and save them, Mayura yelped, "Okasan!"

But her mother seemed to ignore the interference at all and raised her index finger to her chin, thinking about the question. "Hmmm... About five, six months or so."

Seconds passed before her father's gaze darkened a deeper shade, as he looked at them. "Really~?"

Mayura swallowed hard at the clump of fear in her throat.

The glare her father's eyes send Shimon now could cut flesh.

Oh crap.

* * *

It hadn't worked as planned.

Definitely not.

Lying on the bed in the guest room, Shimon stared at the ceiling. Tidily white painted wooden panels stared back at him.

He sighed. Telling Seigen-san about the relationship with his daughter was one of the most complicated things he had ever to endure. Not that he had contributed much being too scared about the possible punishment. When Seigen-san had glared at him the first time, he had tried to meditate, chanting a mantra within his head. Had he known beforehand, that her father would be fine with it, he wouldn't have been so stressed out to begin with.

Still. Telling his family had been so much easier. It had been embarrassing as hell but it was accompanied with a lot of laughing. Chiiko had smiled so brightly, her whole face seemed to shine. A sight that easily made up for Keiji's teasing and the painstaking performance of his foster father as he gave his blessing to them for a marriage, when they had just recently become a thing. Suddenly his family had started celebrating this news as if it had been an official holiday.

Compared to that today had been quite different.

As Shimon had imagined, Seigen-san was rather angry about not having been told about his daughters relationship for six months. Only with the help of Mayura's mother, he stopped sending death glares at Shimon.

Shimon sighed. Good thing Mayura and him had Yukari-san on their side. Her mother was the nice person, that he had imagined her to be. The whole house had a warm gleam, that her mother gave to it by decorating the rooms so brightly. Even this spare room, he was currently occupying had a cheerful aura, with soft yellow colored walls and a pot of fresh flowers sitting on the window-sill.

The walls were now colored in a bluish shade, the plant was covered with the shadows of its petals as the moon light shone into the room for it was already night time.

He had problems sleeping. Too much was on his mind after today. If only she had told Seigen-san sooner –. Well, there was no use thinking about possibilities long gone. Sure, it would have saved trouble. But he had figured out by now, why she hadn't told her father over the phone. It gave her a reason to come home, to abandon her responsibilities as a head of the Amawaka clan for two days. Shimon wouldn't complain about that, especially not after seeing her relief, when her mother hold her in her arms or the happiness coloring her cheeks or, when the family later talked after Seigen-san had calmed down.

A soft knock interrupted his train of thoughts. For a split of a second he wondered, who it could be. But Seigen wouldn't knock so softly even if he decided to punish Shimon in secret and he didn't think, her mother would pay him a visit at night. The next three seconds he wondered, why _she_ would come to see him at night. Shifting into a sitting position, he called her in with a low voice.

She entered. A figure painted in all shades of blue thanks to the low light the moon colored her in. She was clad in a yukata she had put over her nightwear. With silent steps she walked over to the bed, on which he scooted over to make room for her to sit.

When Mayura sat down, he felt the slight budging of the mattress beneath him. He watched her as she bend her legs and lay her arms around them. Resting her head on her knees, she looked at him. Her blue eyes reflected the moon light like the surface of the sea.

In a low voice she spoke to him. "I couldn't sleep. I feel like I have to apologize for the behavior of my parents and for making this more complicated than it had to be."

Getting the idea that she needed comfort he laid a hand over the one of hers within his reach. "It wasn't that big of a deal in the end."

She sighed slowly and closed her eyes. "Sorry to have dragged you along. I should have told Otosan sooner."

He wrapped his hand around her's and pulled at it. She gave in and let herself be lead into his arms.

He mumbled into her hair, "I understand, why you did it." Nuzzling his nose into the soft blonde that smelled like vanilla, he was filled with warmth. A delightful yearning to be closer made his heart clench bitter-sweetly, "Besides it was actually nice meeting your mother."

Another sigh left her. This time tuned much more lighter, liberating. "Thank you for coming along."

From his position he couldn't see her smile. But he knew it was there. Bright and Beautiful.

Then he felt the movement of her. Looking down he saw how she turned her head and lifted her upper body by leaning on her arms on both sides of him.

She didn't need to tell him to tilt his head or lean towards her. Without thinking about it, he tilted his head to the side and kissed her.

Like every time they kissed butterflies took a somersault in his stomach and his heart stumbled a few beats before returning to a quick rhythm. He ran his lips one more time over hers before breaking the sweetness of their kiss.

She looked at him so tenderly with clouded eyes before she settled herself into his arms again.

Lying his arms around her, he completed their embrace.

He heard her slowly mumbling into his shirt, "I'm just staying for a few more minutes."

Murmuring his agreement, he shifted them away from the wall and into a more comfortable position, while holding onto her.

Slow breaths heaved her up and down and he felt her snuggling closer.

He wondered, if he should tell her not to fall asleep, but her warmth lulled him in and soon he fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Yukari hummed, while she sat on her knees in front of her favorite roses, the sleeves of her arms pulled up and a huge hat on top of her head. The sun shone so nicely today, warming her back while she tended to her garden. She loved summer, when all flowers were blooming, painting the garden in multiple colors.

Taking her time, she enjoyed the peaceful mood that lifted her spirits. Soon she would need to prepare dinner for her still grumpy ex-husband whom she had ordered to think about his actions until she returned. To say the least, he hadn't fared well with the recent visit of their daughter and her boyfriend. Although she would have to admit, that the morning had granted both of them quite a surprising discovery. A discovery that had filled her with delight. Seigen on the other hand hadn't been that happy about it.

A short chuckle broke her out of her hum and she tilted her head back, smiling at the beautiful blue sky. She wondered, if Mayura and Shimon had already returned to the island by now.

"Otomi-san, is everything fine?" She heard the voice of an elderly woman.

Turning around Yukari spotted her older neighbor glimpsing over the fence between their properties. Usually they wouldn't talk much, respecting each others privacy.

Rising to her feet and rearranging the hat on her head, Yukari smiled. "Why, thank you. Everything is wonderful. How are you?"

The woman blinked a few times. "Ahm, fine. It's just this morning, we heard this loud clatter and screaming coming from your house."

"Oh, that was just my ex-husband trying to kill my future son-in-law." Yukari waved her hand and giggled remembering the scene after she and Seigen discovered her daughter having slept with the fuchsia-haired, young man in one room. In an instance Yukari had known that nothing had happened between them thanks to the major blushes on the faces of the young pair. Seigen hadn't reacted as understandingly, when he chased their future son-in-law through the house calling him 'bastar' and 'traitor'. "He kicked him and send him flying into a cupboard filled with plates and cups."

Her neighbor gasped."Oh my. That is awful."

In confusion Yukari leaned her head to the side. "Hm? Don't worry, we can replace the porcelain."

"And your future son-in-law? How is he?"

She didn't believe, she could smile brighter as she did now. "Perfect. My daughter has an excellent taste."

* * *

A/N: I don't know, if I might overdid it with the plot. But I kinda felt that the topic "telling the parents" deserved more depth than one scene could provide. Somehow I've started with humor and then this turned more serious before ending in humor again. I hope, it's not confusing. I'm just a big fan of comedies that intertwine serious topics and humor and even more I love the art of playing with words. (My favorite comedy is "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde.)

Now then, how did you like it? Would you have expected Seigen to react differently? Was it funny or too dragged on?

Next prompt: Either "hot spring" or "cuddle fic" both by Inspirated. To be honest I don't know, which to write first. Any preferences?


	10. Love's Manual

A/N: This is not the hot spring fanfic I promised. Sorry. I had this idea for the One-shot and needed to write it, because it was driving me nuts. I will get to the hot spring story soon, although it's probably going to be more of a drabble. After finishing "The Purity of White Seems To Be Red" I've started to work on a new multi-chaptered fic, so most of my inspiration flows into that one. I hope, you don't mind.^^

 **Love's Manual**

Rushing through the residential area, Amawaka Mayura hurried to her date.

The last meeting of the day had taken much longer, than she could have foreseen and now she was running late. When she had made plans to meet up with him, she had thought, she would have an hour to spare at least, to get ready and walk at a normal pace to the Ikaruga estate. Now she jogged along the path leading through the houses of Tschuchimikado island's inhabitant, with huffed breaths, while trying to avoid knocking into anybody.

She knew, he wasn't fond of any form of delay. He would rather spend his free time on training than to sit and wait.

Ikaruga Shimon was indeed a man of high standards and valued virtues. But that had been one of the reasons, she had suddenly found herself so often feeling warm and hazy in his company. And this feeling had been there for a while now.

More than his values and his consonance, she cherished the moments, he would melt down the, what she called, "layer of indifference" and smile. The first time she had heard him laugh, had been months into their acquaintance. Not only had it moved something inside of her, but also between them. They had been companions and friends before. But since then she had found him to be special to her.

She looked forward to every time they met. Enjoyed every hour spend on talking about missions, every dinner they shared and every small message send between them in the early or late hours of a day.

Yet, for all this while they had been friends, she never let him know her one secret towards him. The secret of being in love with him.

Thud.

Suddenly Mayura felt a dull impact against her chest.

The breath left her lungs as her breasts were pushed back.

She felt herself falling backwards.

Just in time she saved herself with a big step backwards and recovered her balance.

Looking at the obstacle on her way, she spotted a cart joggling back and forth on its partly rotten wheels, sending apples over the railing as they sloshed and tumbled over the sides. Behind the cart stood a short, bald man, sending an angry glare into her direction.

Oh, oh.

Calling out, "Sumimasen!" she grabbed the side panel of the cart and helped the man restore its balance.

The man with a gray shade on his long chin hissed at her, after they calmed down the ragging movements of the vehicle, "Next time, watch out, where you are going."

Taking a step back, Mayura crossed her hands and bowed down. "Sumimasen."

"Seriously, the youth these days," she heard him utter seething with hatred.

Still bowed down, Mayura felt less willing to apologize. Cringing inwardly, she tried her best to keep up her polite smile. Though in her mind she pictured the man coming home to a wife complaining about the youth of today and her cheering into his angry chant.

Taking a deep breath, she said again, "Sumimasen."

Rising her body, she saw that the man had stirred his attention away from her now, collecting the red skinned fruits that were thrown out of the cart.

Less amused by his impoliteness directed at her, she figured she should just go on. She had been late anyway. Now she had lost important time.

Starting to jog, she felt sorry and a little bit satisfied, when she kicked an apple into the river flowing at the side of the path.

The splash she heard, when the apple hit the water's surface, was quickly accompanied by the man's angry yell. "Oi, you wench!"

Mayura stumbled and almost tripped over her own feet.

After hearing his insult, she didn't feel sorry about the old, ragging man at all anymore. It was just sad, she had lost more time on this accident. Time she didn't have.

She really should have focused more on walking than on thinking about Shimon.

But then again, the last time they had seen each other, his behavior had been odd.

So it was no wonder, why she would think about him.

Not that it wasn't something she wasn't used to by now. He often came to her mind. Sometimes only like a passing reference – like the picture of his smile, when she looked at a bonsai, clenching her heart sweetly or the wondering, if he'd like the sight of her, when she put on a new dress.

Yet, last time something had occurred between them. Something, that she didn't quite understand and that like every time before called forth the pain and insecurity she had felt since then, thinking about it.

They had met to eat dinner, as they so often did and talked about this and that. At the end she had made use of their old routine: She had asked, whom he liked. Out of fun, because it was a running gag between them by now.

At the very beginning of this routine, she had asked him out of curiosity. It had been at the time, they were stranded on the small island shortly after she had moved to Tsuchimikado island. Then and there they had become more acquainted with each other and she had asked him, if there was someone he liked. Back then he had said "No" but later changed his answer and admitted, he liked someone for a while now.

Since that time she had been curious and asked him very often, whom he liked.

Later that curiosity had changed into a more personal matter. Also, if she was honest with herself, she loved to tear down the "layer of indifference" herself. And she had found this question to be powerful weapon to make him falter. But never had he answered the question.

After a few months of questioning he hadn't seemed stressed out at the question like he used to. And by the way he reacted, she had believed, he didn't felt anything for the person anymore. That it was a matter of the past.

The last time they'd met, that changed.

All of a sudden he had looked very uncomfortable at the question. Pained, troubled and agonized he had looked at her and seemed, as if he was on the brink to tell her.

She wondered now, if his face could possibly display some part of the pain, that she felt.

All this time she had seen them being together as a possibility. The natural next step to the relationship they had created. And she had rested, lied back in the comfort zone of their friendship. When she had to face this feelings of his so suddenly, she had felt the wind taken from under her wings. Suddenly the reality of him liking someone else came back to her like a train running her over. He still liked that someone.

After watching him making funny faces, she had quickly excused herself. Not able to bear this anymore. This crushing feeling, that made heart ache and chest constrict. All this time she had played a seemingly easy game, that, in the end, she couldn't win.

Without looking at each other, they had departed rather awkwardly and cut short, not like they usually did.

Since then they hadn't seen each other. Hadn't written long messages. Only at times short ones, exorcism related ones, that weren't made to reply.

And for all this time she had wondered, whom he could like. Wondered, if he had ever spoken about somebody frequently or looked at somebody at school rather often. Still she got no clue and it was eating on her.

And when she didn't wonder about whom he could possibly like, she wondered, why he had looked so pained, making her thoughts run wild, as she considered the possibility of him already dating someone else, who maybe didn't like her or wanted to forbid them to see each other.

All these musings and doubts were driving her crazy and she couldn't stop blaming herself for not having told him her feelings.

Maybe it would have ended their friendship.

Maybe they wouldn't have grown this accustomed with each other in the first place.

But maybe – just maybe – he would have started to see her differently, too.

These questions and what-ifs had brought her nowhere.

So when he had finally written more than one sentence, Mayura had jumped at his message inviting her today to his place, saying he had something to talk about.

She wasn't amend to get her heart broken, but she couldn't deal with all this wondering either. Perhaps they could go on like they used to, even after he told her, whom he liked. And if- if he would end their friendship, at least she would know, where they were standing. Afterwards she could go home and lick her wounds.

A big sigh left her.

Slowly she became more aware of her surroundings again and discovered that she was at the end of her journey, when the Ikaruga estate came to her sight.

She would hate it, if this was the last time the clan acted towards her like to an old friend. She had spend so many happy times here, it killed her to think, it might be over soon. They were all so friendly, inviting her in, as they did now, telling her that Shimon was at the gardens behind the estate.

Leaving the building at its backside, her eyes searched for him, grazing the beautiful garden of the estate, that was large as a park and lead into a small forest reaching uphill.

She found his figure standing across a row of shrubs, looking towards the deep green forest with his back turned towards her. His hands rested in the pocket of his brown trousers. He wore a black, long sleeved shirt and was without his scarf or headphones.

For a short moment she wondered ,which sight she was more used to, the comfortable looking Shimon at home, the rebellious looking Shimon outside this constricted realm or the strong, fearless warrior in a karinguru.

Sensing the presence of somebody else, he turned his head around. The way he looked at her, his sky blue eyes filling with warmth beneath the rim of his glasses, almost made her forget their last meeting.

Almost.

Murmuring words of greetings, she walked up to him.

When he turned his body to fully face her's, she asked herself, why her heart raced the most now, looking up at him and noticing how tall he was. It was not fair. Trying to ignore the storm in her heart, she tried to smile, "I'm sorry, I'm late."

He shook his head and motioned for them to sit on a bench, overlooking the gardens, designed to emphasize the building of the main house. "It's okay," he said.

Sitting down on the bench, Mayura wondered, if she should tell him about her earlier encounter with a wobbling cart and an ignorant, old man.

Usually she would.

But today it seemed strange, falling back into the old scheme.

Instead she unintentionally fell back into her old habit of fumbling with the lower end of her skirt. She decided to cut the chase and get over it. After taking in a slow and deep breath, she asked, "What did you want to talk about?"

Shimon sighed. He looked troubled again, as he pulled out the hands of his trousers, leaned forward to sit upright and rested his hands on his knees, all the while keeping his gaze locked onto the ground in front of them. In a soft voice with an hint of reluctance he said, "You know, it's about the girl, I like."

The pang in her chest was still as heavy and hurtful, as it had been the first time, she had faced this new reality, when he had said nothing at all. Uneasy she looked at him from the side, "What is it?"

A red hue appeared on his cheeks, making matters worse, because he looked so damn cute thinking about somebody else. "I don't know, how to handle this. What am I supposed to do?"

This was worse than everything she had thought of. Neither was he telling her, whom he meant, nor was he ending their friendship – which would be great, if he didn't asked for her help as a friend to confess to somebody who wasn't her.

Feeling beaten and bruised, she tilted her head down and slowly mumbled, "I see. I didn't know, you still had feelings for her."

She felt his gaze, as if he poked her with a stick. Looking up she saw him watching her seriously and unwavering. She wondered, if he could see right through her with his crystal blue eyes and discover the truth.

Afraid this could lead to a bigger mess than this already was, she swallowed down the hurt and chose to play best friends for now, even if she would have preferred to run away and dig up a hole, she could bury her feelings in. And so she – despite her feelings about this – inquired, "You want an advice on how to tell her?"

He nodded once.

She sighed deeply. If she was going through this, she at least wanted to go out of this with one answer to the numerous questions tormenting her, "I'll help you on one condition."

Raising his eyebrow, Shimon looked at her.

After taking in a low breath, she said a thing, that she wanted and didn't want to say, "You have to tell me this time who it is."

His gaze got blurry as if in trance while he nodded in a broken motion before he seemed to have caught himself again, "Deal."

She managed a crumbling smile. She would pull this off, helping him as a friend. There wasn't anything else for her to do anyway. So she started to give him the basics, "First of all, you should ask her out, like on a date or just a friendly meeting."

"Such as?", he blinked at her.

"Going to the movies, eating out or something like that." Although Mayura never had confessed to someone or had received a confession herself, she knew a lot about dates and dating thanks to life magazines and a great portion of empathy.

He seemed to think about this point for a while. It was obvious to her the way one of his eyebrow was slightly pulled down, "Could it be something like walking through a park?"

She huffed a small laugh. He seemed to love meeting at green places. If her heart wouldn't be aching so much, she would actually wish him the best of luck, "Sure."

His eyes relaxed a bit. Somehow was watching him behave as usually, calming her upset heart and brought her a bit comfort in a very much twisted situation. Going on with his advice-seeking, he asked,"And what am I supposed to do then? How do I start?"

"You should wait until the mood is comfortable. Do not go into the date with a confession at the beginning," Mayura replied.

"Hn." He nodded again, looking at the ground.

What was there to tell him next? They finished the _when_ , now it was probably wise to go onto the _how_. "Then when you get to the point to confess, don't start right off."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Shimon's widened eyes blinked at her.

"I mean, if you just blur it out, what you feel for her, you might scare her away. It might seem too straightforward or too cocky." She looked at him, while concentrated on the advice. It was cute, how serious he took the matter, yet, on the same time it was totally destroying her.

Laying out the road for him to confess to someone else, definitely tasted more poisonous than bitter.

But they were friends. Even if it hurt, she wanted to help him. So she gave him another advice, that admittedly differed from woman to woman, but Shimon would need all the help he could get, "Instead you should start with something else, maybe tell her, what she means to you generally or an anecdote, how you both met. And then you confess."

"I think, I got it now," he smiled honestly and gratefully, making her heart twist and curl.

Quickly she added, "But don't be too confident or too shy. First would seem dishonest. Second can become ridiculous."

He still smiled at her unwavering. Her lips curved on their own, while he told her, "Thank you, Mayura. You are a true friend."

She felt like he stabbed her with a knife. Giggling uncomfortably to cover the impact on her, she waved her hand. "It wasn't that much of a deal. I promised to help you with stuff, you're not good at, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. You are a very kind person."

"Don't worry. I was glad, I could help." Mayura wished, he would stop smiling at her like this. He was making it too difficult for her to ignore the feelings blooming and faltering in her chest. Figuring she should get this over with soon, so she could make a quick leave and bury her feelings – or even better herself, she declared, "Now it's time for your end of the bargain."

His smile vanished and his eyes traveled away from her, as he began to star off.

She feared his answer.

"To be honest the first time we met, I wasn't sure, what to think about you. I couldn't believe someone like you to be the daughter of Seigen-san."

What? Now, he truly made her forget her heart break. Offended she countered, "Excuse me? I help you and you go and complain about me?"

A small smirk broke out on his face and he continued, "Well, it's true. But you changed my opinion of you rather quickly. And all of a sudden I found myself liking the way you smiled and looked forward to spend time with you."

Eh? "Shimon, what are you saying?"

"Mayura, the one I like." He looked at her. "It's you."

Shock, desperation, irritation, confusion, relief punched into her like a car crash.

It was her?

She was the one he liked?

But how-?

And why for crying out loud had he make her go through this then?

When the smoke of the crash lifted, it left one unhealthy feeling: Anger.

He had made her think, he would confess to someone else. He made her believe he loved someone else. All to end up in a confession, that she advised him on.

It had been her all this time and he hadn't said anything?

Had made her believe the worst while holding back on his confession?

She felt tricked. She felt hurt. She felt angry. And she had only one word for it, "Baka."

"Huh?" Now, it was his time to look shocked.

Good for him. He deserved it.

"Baka. You're such a baka," she grumbled.

He stared at her. All nervous and insecure, asking, "Did I do it wrong?"

Seriously? Did he truly believe the plan of his was such a great idea? "You had me thinking, you liked someone else."

Understanding replaced the nervousness on his face, ending up in a sorrowful look. In a low voice he apologized, "I'm sorry, I really didn't know, how to tell you. I'm truly sorry, if I mislead you."

It wasn't enough to soothe the hurt she felt. Angry tears formed in her eyes, relentlessly gushing down her face the same way her words did. "How dense can someone be? It's so much like you to ask for such a stupid advice and then applying it to the person you asked. That's not how it's done. What was I supposed to think?"

He looked down on his knees covered in his trousers into which he had buried his fingers in. "I wanted to tell you. I had thought often about how to do this. But the more you asked, who it is, the more complicated it got. I thought, I couldn't just tell you. So I wondered, how this is usually done. And I didn't want to ask Sayo. You know how over-the-top she gets."

Carefully she watched him, blinking her tears away. She wished, he wouldn't have this power over her. Wouldn't be able to quickly calm down her anger. She wished, she wouldn't understand his reasoning.

He seemed to be filled with dismay, when his gaze fell onto her again. "I ruined it, didn't I? I messed up."

"Yes, you did." Rubbing the tears away, Mayura looked at him accusingly.

The guilt seemed to lay heavy on his shoulders, while he bent down, supporting his weight on his knees.

She was cooling off but she wouldn't let him get away without explaining to him, where he went wrong, "You should have just told me everything you did without asking for an advice right away. And you should have known, that I wouldn't think you too straightforward or cocky."

"But you said-"

"I know, what I've said, but you should have known, that I feel the same way about you. Instead of making me think, we talked about someone else." In a small corner of her mind she admitted, that she was being unfair, because she had neither known, that he returned her feelings. But she was still grabbing onto that little flicker of anger being left.

"You do?" He stared at her in wonder, that made her insides clench with delight.

Letting go one big breath and all the negative feelings, she finally admitted the truth out loud, "Yes."

A crooked smile formed on his face. In a strained voice he mumbled, "I'm sorry, I didn't know." After a while he began to stare at the ground in concentration, before directing his silky voice at her hesitantely, "Are you still mad? Because I honestly don't know, where to go from here."

Suppressing a surprised laughter, she snickered and huffed a playful sigh. This was so much like him. "You're hopeless, Ikaruga Shimon."

She giggled. He truly needed help confessing to her, didn't he? But this time she was anything but reluctant to help him out. "Now, we tell each other, that we like each other and then you may wanna kiss me."

A small smile lit on his lips. His eyes seemed to dance, while he turned his body fully towards her. "I like you, Mayura. I have for a long time."

This time his confession brought nothing but sweet happiness and cheerful delight over her. Her heart fluttered, "And I like you, Shimon."

They smiled at each other.

His eyes skimmed over her face and rested on her lips.

Then all of a sudden he started to lean forward in an untypically awkward movement, supporting his weight with one hand on the back of the bench.

Heat broke out in her face. Utterly nervous, she started fidgeting. She wasn't sure, if she was prepared for her first kiss.

Not knowing, where to look in these seconds, that unbearably felt like an eternity, she closed her eyes and waited for their lips to finally meet.

They didn't.

Her heart missed a beat.

All of a sudden she felt his warm breath on her lips, making her heart and stomach ache in a sudden urge of sweet desire.

Anticipation rose within her, burning down the nervousness she felt to crisps.

Without thinking she leaned forward and was rewarded with the soft feeling of his lips and a small gasp of his.

Gentle relief and an abiding yearning fought within her, while his lips grazed hers.

Never would she have imagined her first kiss to be like this. Comforting and steering at the same time. Soothing her soul and pulsating to the smallest corner of her being.

Releasing a shaky breath, she titled her head and shifted closer, while he started to nibble onto her lower lip.

Blindly her hands searched for something to hold onto, while she was swept away in the high tide of emotions. Grabbing onto the shirt covering the hard planes of his chest, she felt something else stir within her.

They definitely wouldn't be able to go on like they used to.

But she wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

A/N: Kinda exploring different first kisses. XD I personaly prefer "The Purity of White Seems To Be Red" the most but that kiss had been a long time coming. Though it's not bad to have different shimayu first kisses. ;)


	11. The Stray Shikigami Accident

A/N: YAY! Finally! I am sorry it took me so long to work on this prompt but it has a reason. One, I will explain after the end. ;)

And for the latest guest reviewer on "The Purity of White Seems To Be Red": I am sorry, since there is no other way to reply to you, I do it like this. Hope, you'll see it. The special about Shimon and Mayura was published as chapter "39.5" of the manga. I can't publish links but you'll easily find it, if you google "Sousei no Onmyouji 39.5"

prompt: "hot spring ff" [and some fluffy descriptions I won't list :P] - Inspirated

 **The Stray Shikigami Accident Or Making a Wrong Seem Right  
**

Why had he to go through this? He should have just went home. Should have said, he had something to do, instead of coming along. This wasn't, how he would have imagined things to turn out, when he accompanied Mayura to visit Rokuro.

Why had he done it anyway? He had more important things to do. Actually not right now, he had planned for a free afternoon, on which he could tend to his plants. His newest bonsai needed to be cut to grow more branches. But then she had stood in front of the door of the Ikaruga main house, asking him to tag along. And Shimon just couldn't force himself to say "No".

It was all thanks to this infatuation he had with her.

And now? Now he found himself in the streaming, hot water off a hot spring with Rokuro next to him.

Which wouldn't be a problem at all, if he didn't know Mayura was on the other side of the hot spring. Naked and all.

Only a wooden wall separated them.

One simple wall.

Just wood.

It was making him so damn nervous.

And all the while he tried to cover this uneasiness he felt.

Granted, it wasn't as bad as the time on the isle, when he had to guard her taking a bath in a hot spring with nothing being between them. But that time had left some marks on him. Some awkward and embarrassing feeling every time he thought about it because he couldn't forget the accident that occurred on that day.

So now even that wall, opposite of him, was making him nervous, making him wonder, how sturdy its structure was, how much weight it could hold and what it would take to tear it down.

It wasn't like he was a pervert.

Far from it. Shimon didn't want the wall to go down. Not in any way. He would be glad, if it would be made out of stone. Nor did he think about her body in lecherous ways. But the very idea that not much divided them, was making him breaking out in cold sweat, as his body was cooked in the streaming water of the hot spring.

And if he was honest, he feared about some accident to happen. It wasn't like he had been fortunate so far. Her breasts had been pressed against him way too many times by now. And each time it had been worse than the time before.

First time had been just pressing – with him loosing his balance in the air for a while, second time wiggling against him, as she had used him as a cushion to her fall and the third time...

He swallowed hard at the thought, while embarrassment rose within him like water into a sinking ship.

Just thinking about the time they had been on the isle, when Mayura jumped at the sudden appearance of a stray shikigami right into his arms bare to the skin made him blush furiously. He had tried so hard to forget the feeling of her naked breasts pressed against him, but it had been burned into his memory. A big fat stamp of awkwardness.

Fortunately Shimon had been able back then not to look at her once. Desperately trying to stay a gentleman, he had suffered through her following wrath, threatening to pummel him to mousse with a bolder, without blinking an eye at her.

Had it been a trick of fate, that had been throwing him into these inappropriate situations with her?

It was almost, as if someone or something pushed them together – literally.

It would be so much easier, if she was just some girl. Just a girl he was faintly acquainted with or that meant nothing to him. But truth was, even if he'd like to, he couldn't deny the pull towards her. He hadn't understood these feelings at first. He couldn't grasp everything about them either.

Yet, he felt a tremble in his heart, when he looked at her, a tickling on his skin, when they touched and the need for air in his lungs, when she smiled at him.

He got it bad.

And it had gotten worse day by day.

At first it was just some stirring of interest, he couldn't explain and wasn't sure. He worried about her so much it left him wondering about this. Then it was a warmth spreading through him and his heart clenching, when he looked at her in moments she looked so – so pretty?

Before he knew what was happening to him, these feelings had multiplied themselves.

He really got it bad.

And so he surely wasn't obstinate about the chance to repeat something like the last time.

"Oi, Shimon, is the water too hot for you? Your face looks like it's burning," Rokuro asked next to him, bringing Shimon back to the here and now. A situation, in which he was sitting in the hot water of a public bath with Rokuro next to him, a towel resting on his brown, unruly hair and a worried expression being carved into his face.

"I'm fine," Shimon shot back with some rage in his voice. It was Rokuro's fault after all that had brought him into this uncomfortable predicament. If he hadn't suggested that all three of them could go to a hot spring because it was to cold outside, he wouldn't be here.

Of course he would have declined, if Mayura hadn't looked so – so cute – in excitement about the proposal. It made him swallow hard thinking about the happy glint in her eyes and the bright smile topped with a small blush, yet again. Instead he had said nothing and both of them, Mayua and Rokuro, had taken it as a sign of approval and dragged him along. If just Tsuchimikado Arimori would have been there then he could have gone with the other two, giving Shimon the opportunity to escape this situation and go home to tend to his plants. But he had been running some errands.

"Are you sure? Maybe you should rest for a while." Rokuro leaned over to him and watched him with his red eyes squinted half way closed.

"I am fine." Shimon muttered and frowned at Rokuro.

In response that one started sulking and looked away, mumbling he uttered, "Sorry for worrying about you."

The feeling of guilt that rushed over him, made Shimon forget about his anger about the situation. Actually he didn't want to blame Rokuro for this. Anger was easier than embarrassment but it was uncalled-for. He had no idea, what he had dragged Shimon into. The only ones who had an idea about his feelings for Mayura were his siblings. And he had paid deeply for them not to say a word to anybody else. Which reminded him, that he still needed to shoot a photo of Rokuro in secret for Chiiko. His little sister was too good in bribing. It made him wonder, where she had learned this.

He sighed and leaned his back onto the stones surrounding the basin. Trying to lift the mood, he murmured, "I'm sorry. I feel better now."

Talking to Rokuro eased off some of his anxiety. Perhaps he shouldn't give it too much of a thought. With the wall between them, it was not like the incident from last time would repeat itself. Even if stray shikigami loved to take baths and were known for their sudden appearances in hot springs, it would be fine, if it happened on one side of the bath.

Besides Mayura wasn't alone there. Shizuru was with her and would probably help getting rid of any intruder or other unforeseeable circumstance easily. They had met her on the way to the hot spring and Mayura had instantly asked her, if she wanted to accompany them. Since they both were in the same class at the Seiyouin training institute, they had grown closer, something Shimon hadn't been blind to. It seemed like Mayura was easy at making friends. He himself did not know much about this one of Narumi-san's daughters, yet he noticed the blush forming on the dark skinned girl's face, when Rokuro insisted on her coming along. 'Another one,' he had thought with some sort of revolting dismay. Not because of Ioroi Shizuru but because of Mayura being one of the girls, that looked at Rokuro like that, his sister included. It almost made him feel like a fifth wheel. Nevertheless he had choked down the tiny prick of jealousy and let himself be dragged here.

Anyway, Shizuru being with Mayura was another method preventing something awkward to happen. Plus there was the wall between them.

After all a wooden wall separated them.

One large wall.

Solid wood.

These thought helped him to calm down.

It helped him relax and finally savor the feeling of the hot bath, pouring warmth into his body and loosening up his muscles. Beads of transpiration formed on his forehead and temples, running over his face, down his chin. With slow breaths he lay in the water feeling rested and centered. He even thought about thanking Rokuro for his idea. It actually wasn't so bad, to let yourself rest once in a while.

And so Shimon stopped thinking about accidents with Mayura and closed his eyes.

He appreciated the silence, that was only disturbed by the calm music of water pouring to the sides whenever Rokuro beside him moved.

All of a sudden he heard a loud splash and a even louder scream. Alarmed he immediately rose to his feet. Hadn't it been Mayura screaming? Was it again a stray shikigami?

A few seconds later, a dark voice of a girl barked, "You perverted shikigami. Go to the men, for a change!"

It was Shizuru, if he wasn't mistaken.

Then something crashed into the wooden wall in front of him.

In slow motion Shimon watched something fluffy and round breaking through the slats of the wall. Pieces of wood were flung around.

The fluffy thing flew over the water, splitting its surface into two heaving waves and crashed into the wall behind Rokuro and Shimon.

Shimon did not pay it any attention because his gaze was glued to the wooden wall, which now had a big whole in it

A whole through which he saw her. Mayura.

She looked into the other direction surprised and worried, with a towel wrapped around her.

A towel that threatened to fall.

And it did.

One second he blinked, while the towel slowly slid down her body.

The next he stopped breathing.

Utterly thunderstruck he stared at her. His eyes tried to behold the beauty they looked at, rushing over the figure. The angelic face, a long neck, creamy colored shoulders, perfectly round shaped breasts above a flat stomach, framed by round hips ending in long, flawless legs.

Words weren't enough to capture the beauty of her being.

In all his life never had he been moved by something like he was now.

Greedy his eyes took in the smooth lines and round shapes of her body.

An image of seconds was saved for an eternity inside his heart and mind.

It was only, when he noticed Rokuro's yelp, that he broke the stare and was brought back to reality.

He gasped, shocked at what he had just done.

Then he saw her turn around.

Ashamed and embarrassed he sunk to his feet and took cover in the water. He didn't want for her to notice, that he had stared. From under the surface he could hear the contorted sound of another one of her yells.

He waited until the commotion died down.

He waited for, what felt like a few minutes.

He waited until his lungs burned and the muscles of his mouth fighting his will to be opened.

When he rose to the surface again, he was alone, with an angry owner glaring at him.

Only later did he learn from Rokuro, that Shizuru had kicked a stray shikigami into the wall and went home with Mayura after Rokuro had accidentally seen them both. Shimon opted to kill him but figured he was as much scum as Rokuro for having looked at Mayura.

And for weeks he had argued with himself, if he should tell her about this or not. And when he finally had built up the courage to tell her, he was surprised at her reaction.

She turned away her burning red head and mumbled, "We're even."

* * *

A/N: I promised an explanation, right?^^

Okay, here you go: I HATE HOT SPRING FFs. XD They are often very bad written and always have the same plot. Either it is girl/boy sees girl/boy naked or both OR it is some badly written M-rated stuff. And I did not like to write the same thing. Which in the end I did because the setting limits the possible actions (Tbh I thought about this for weeks. Maybe it was because of my dislike that no inspiration struck). Anyway, you might understand the conflict I had writing something I disliked. The humor made it up for it though like Mayura "threatening to pummel" Shimon or Sayo bribing Shimon. XD

One note in the margin: Bath-loving stray shikigamis entering public baths is a trivia fact published in Vol. 7. They seem to do it fairly often and use as much shampoo as they want. lol. (Maybe they ship Shimayu, too. Who knows?^^)

Well, I hope, it is not that bad. To me it feels like it is sooooo bad. But I am biased! XD XD

And I hope it doesn't change your feelings about this fic, if - by chance - you liked it. I just have read to many of the same fics that it created a scar. :P


	12. Survey AN

**Survey A/N**

Hello dear followers and fellow shimayu shippers!^^ If you've expected a new One-shot, I am sorry to disappoint you, but I hope, this small note will be to your service anyway. ;)

I have a huge list of prompts, (I am sorry, it takes me a little bit longer to work on them, but life...) one I thought, I present to you and make you decide, which one will be the next One-Shot published. Some of these will appear in "Come Undone" because of the rating.

* * *

Here we go:

First kiss (passionate)

Cuddle ff

Next morning of "Dinner with Consequences Pt2"

Mayura telling Shimon, she's pregnant / "Something to Swallow Pt2"

Song fic "Shut up and dance with me"

"morgenlattemacchiato" (Lol. This one only German speaking people are able to understand, but I think it's better this way. XD)

Rokubeni Lemon

Longer version of "The Silver Lining"

A scene of the Games

Drunk Mayura (maybe M-rated)

Alliance between our captains of the ship: Yukari, Sayo and Keiji, trolling around.

Shimayu corporate/dandy AU

Mayura clings to Shimon sleeping (pre-canon)

* * *

 ** **These prompts aren't my prompts but request by lovely people, whom I mention of course, in the One-shot to their prompt.****

 ** **Tell me, what you'd like to read next.** Just contact me here, on tumblr, on twitter or on Wattpad. (Any way will do.^^)**

 **Deadline for the survey will be Saturday, July 1st 2017 at 2 pm (CET).**

* * *

 **UPDATE:**

Thank you guys for participating!

Final results of the surve:

 **8 votes:**

Alliance between our captains of the ship: Yukari, Sayo and Keiji, trolling around.

 **4 votes:**

A scene of the Games

 **3 votes:**

Next morning of "Dinner with Consequences Pt2" Drunk Mayura (maybe M-rated) Mayura telling Shimon, she's pregnant / "Something to Swallow Pt2"

 **2 votes:**

"morgenlattemacchiato" Mayura clings to Shimon sleeping (pre-canon) Song fic "Shut up and dance with me"

 **1 vote:**

Shimayu corporate/dandy AU RokuBeni lemon Cuddle ff

 **0 votes:**

First kiss (passionate) Longer version of "The Silver Lining"(*cries*) AND THE WINNER IS:

Alliance between our captains of the ship: Yukari, Sayo and Keiji, trolling around.

Aye, my mates, we are going to set sails soon! (loooooooool)

(And we know, what the prompt after this one is going to be!^^)


	13. A Special Morning

A/N: I could not not write a fanfic for Shimon's birthday. So here it is! Happy Birthday, Shimon! And a Happy Shimon's Birthday for everyone! This little piece is filled with so much fluff and cliche, it might make you gooey. Just a warning. ;)

 **A Special Morning**

The sound of tripping was the first thing that reached his mind, as his mind drifted into consciousness. The cool air surrounding his face was the second. Sleepy he shifted his body to bury his nose in her hair to shield it from the cold outside of their little covern. A sigh left him before he'd fully turned, expecting to be enveloped in her wonderful scent and cloaked in her soothing warmth.

His heart tumbled uncomfortably in his chest with disappointment, when he found neither of it. Blinking his eyes open, he came face to face with a tidied pillow halfway covered by an equally neat tidied blanket.

Fully awake now he jolted upwards. His eyes searched for her but unlike usually they did not find her immediately. Scanning the room he saw the bright colored drapes in front of the windows opened a slit to let in a bit of light. Behind them he could see rain drops knocking on the glass, announcing the beginning of fall. She must have opened the drapes a bit to have enough light to walk around the room without hindrance.

Shimon sighed and stretched, wondering where she had might gone off to. It wasn't that he was a small boy. One which couldn't wait to receive his presents. He had never been like this. Not even when he was at that age, all boys were excruciatingly excited for their new toys. Yet, he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. He loved their morning routine. It was always him waking up first and pulling her into a last embrace before the responsibilities of daily life interrupted them. She would huff a breath of contentment or mumble a "Good morning" once she was waking up. And he missed it now. It was making him feel like an idiot. A foolish, love-smitten idiot who should not be disappointed by such a silly thing. Yet, he was. He was but a fool in love with his wife. Not wanting to appear too clingy for both their sakes, he stretched his limbs and got up, planning not to show her anything of his sour mood. Why would she break their tradition today on all days anyway?

He grabbed the pair of trousers from yesterday and put them on above his shirt and boxers from the night. He wanted to know what was going on. Leaving their room he found the hallway empty. There was no sound to be heard in their home except for the rain tripping against the windows, which felt odd and weird to him. He wasn't scared easily but he couldn't help the nagging feeling of foreboding reaching his mind. Straightening up his shoulders he reached for the door on his right. Pushing it open he was granted with a fully lit room and another deserted bed with tidied bedding. What was going on?

With a quicker pace he crossed the hall. The sound of his feet pounding against the ground pierced the uncomfortable silence and accelerated the beat of his heart. He might be overreacting. Surely nothing had happened. Maybe Mayura had chosen to pay their family a early morning visit. Maybe she was running errands so she could spend the rest of her day with him.

But nothing of this mattered in this moment. He just wanted to see them right now to be sure.

Having taken a small set of steps and a longer trail of thoughts, he looked around the living room but found nothing. He was almost reaching for his phone in the pocket of his trousers when he noticed something despite the unwavering background sound of the rain stumbling against his ears or the cool air of fall showering his skin. It was a scent, a warm scent, making him feel homely in an instant. The promise of sugar and chocolate was tickling his nose. And he followed its trail back to the closed kitchen door.

He pressed down the door handle and heard a stifled giggle form inside the room. Shimon couldn't help but smile when he pushed the door open and was welcomed not only with the concentrated smell of a chocolate cake but the sight of the two most important woman in his life, wearing the same beautiful expression. A mix of smug delight and impish anticipation. Forgotten was his discomfort and worry and he chose to fall into their play by clearing his throat. His daughter replied with another giggle, filling the house with so much warmth, he wondered if the rain might evaporate outside. Batter covered her face, some of it near her mouth obviously licked away in a series of attempts. The blonde of her hair was mostly spared but the pinkish ends stuck together. To Shimon she had never looked cuter. With a proud quake in his chest he skimmed his eyes over to her mother, who watched her with eyes so full of adoration and love, he felt immediately intoxicated by them. Her eyes skipped over to him and their gazes met. His breath was caught in his chest, looking into the twinkling of her eyes that reminded him of a starry sky in the wee morning hours. Would he ever stop feeling like this when he looked at her?

"Daddy! Daddy!" Before Mayura or Shimon could react, their daughter heaved her little body from the stool, shocking both of them. Mayura gasped and Shimon almost fell to his feet when his mind reacted faster than his body. All the while his little girl stumbled over to him on her little feet, unknowing of the fear she made her parents feel – a thing that Shimon had discovered happened more often than one would expect before having their first child.

He crouched down, so he was almost eye to eye with her.

"Daddy!" She came to stop in front of him, her fingers interwined.

"Hn?" He raised an eyebrow, waiting for his daughter to continue,

"Mommy and I baked for you."

He lifted a finger to her cheek and rubbed some of the drying batter of it. "I can see that."

A bubbly giggled left her before she exclaimed enthusiastically, "Happy birthday, daddy!"

She threw herself into his arms and he returned the hug. She was so small, he could not imagine her to be a grown up woman one day. "Thank you." He pulled away and waited for her to look at him again. "But remember, Kari, we don't hop of any stool by ourselves. Correct?"

Her smile fell apart and she shuffled a feet on the ground. "S'rry."

"It's fine. I am glad nothing happened."

She looked at him from beneath her lids with a look that was so like Mayura's, he wanted to hug his little girl again just for being there.

He smiled and asked her, "Do you want to show me what you and your Mom made?"

Immediately the smile was illuminating her face again. "Yup."

Swooping her on his arms he stood up and walked over to the kitchen counter at which Mayura had observed them with a smile.

Looking at the counter he could see a mountain of bowls and spoons framing two trays of muffins. In over-exaggerated manner he hummed, "Mhhhhhmmm..."

"That's your present," Kari pointed out.

Amused he chuckled at her. "Thank you very much for this."

"Mommy made them, too!" Kari waved a pointed finger at Mayura.

"Right," Shimon feinted seriousness. By now he knew these games he would play for the sake of his daughter. At the beginning he hadn't known how to talk to her. He was treating her like an adult, Mayura had often complained. And so he had turned to get advice from the one man, he had looked up to the most, Mayura's father, Seigen-san. Although that was another embarrassing story, he did not want to ponder on too much. So he quickly crossed the counter and stopped right in front of Mayura. "Thank you very much, mommy," he said out loudly, before he leaned over to Mayura murmuring a low, "Good Morning," and sealing her lips with his in a lingering kiss.

"Irk!" He felt their daughter push against his shoulder and turned his head towards her, watching her face contorted in disgust.

"Right," he said another time. Before he looked at Mayura again.

"Happy birthday, Shimon," Mayura said with a smile on her lips and in her eyes.

He nodded at her and together they shared a love-filled smile until their daughter interrupted them again. "Don't you wanna eat them?"

Mayura helped him out this time and brushed hair out of Kari's face, "We'll eat them together. It will be a very special Amawaka birthday breakfast. But first I need to clean up the kitchen and then you."

Kari pouted but restrained herself from making a fuss about it – luckily.

"I'll take her bathing while you clean the kitchen," Shimon offered.

It would be faster and just because he had birthday didn't mean he was an imbecile, who could not bath his daughter, who was excited again all of a sudden, if her yelling "Bathing time!" wasn't a clue.

"Yes," he confirmed, making his daughter jumping lively on his arms.

"Thanks," Mayura said with a grateful smile. Her eyes were lighter now, showing that she wasn't amused or delighted but just happy.

"No problem," Shimon said, wondering if he should lean in for another kiss despite their daughter's dismay about them kissing. Instead he turned around. They would have all evening and night to kiss.

"Oh and Shimon?" Mayura's voice made him pause.

"Hn?" He looked over his shoulder and saw Mayura having approached him.

With a smirk she leaned in and whispered into his ear, "I give you your present – later." Her hot breath tickled his ear sensually.

Shimon's smile dropped and he stared at Mayura agape before turning around heading for the bath. He couldn't help but wish that later would come soon. Heat exploded on his face as he thought about all the possibilities her low murmur of a promise could have meant and all of them lead in a very similar direction.

"Daddy, why is your face as red as your hair?"

* * *

A/N: Please, don't blame me if it is rushed or too short. I wrote it within the last two hours. XD


	14. An (Un)holy Alliance

A/N: The author declares any suggestive and ambiguous statements are deliberately implied. The author will take no responsibility for their impact though.

Prompt: "Alliance between the captains of our ship: Yukari, Sayo and Keiji trolling around." by Giu (giushia on twitter)

 **An (Un)holy Alliance**

 _Snip_. _Snip_. _Snip_.

The sound of the knife conking against the wooden broad resounded rhythmically in the kitchen and was accompanied by the soft music coming from the radio behind her.

Swaying her hips to music Yukari prepared supper. Today it would be Seigen's favorite dish. Not because it was a special day for him or them. Yet, today would be special and she wanted to celebrate it.

Lifting the board, she pushed the cut onions into the heated pan, were they started sizzling.

Yukari reached out for next vegetables. Cooking had a method and needed to work according to plan to be perfect. Just like other events of today.

From behind her, she heard her phone ringing once on the bright surface of the dinner table, where she had earlier placed it.

She let her gaze swift to the clock hanging on the wall. It was 5pm. Time for the mission to commerce. She giggled, feeling so wicked. Her daughter would have to thank her afterwards. It was a mother's job to always do her best for her child and Yukari had taken the organization of today very seriously. After all she had been preparing her daughter's future.

Delighted she continued to cut vegetables and released a giggle every time she thought about, what was occurring a few hundred miles from here at the same moment.

A dark voice drawling startled her out of her happy delusion, "Oi woman, why are you giggling all the time?"

Flinching a bit, Yukari held her breath. She tried not to look too suspicions. Her husband was good at reading her, despite him seeming to be cold and kind of coarse on the outside. On the inside, Yukari knew, he was the most sensitive and empathetic person. With a soft smile she turned around to him and sing-sang, "It just makes me happy every time I prepare your favorite dish. I love to delight my sour little muffin."

Like every time Seigen looked startled and embarrassed at the nickname. He blinked his dark eyes open and shut a few times – those eyes that had never lost the sadness deeply graved into them. Then he turned away with a grunt and quickly left the kitchen.

The mission was safe. It was imperative, that Seigen won't get notice of, what was happening right now. Otherwise he might tear down the pillars of her master plan. And she couldn't have that, could she?

After today she would gladly stay beside her daughter, when she told him the news. But for today he needed to stay uninformed about everything that currently happened on the island, where he was born.

With a sigh she turned around and finished cutting the vegetables, letting them join the onions in the pan one after another.

After stirring the vegetable medley in the rhythm of the music from the radio, Yukari turned around to her phone. She almost couldn't hold her horses to see, how the mission was going. Right now all she could see was, that she had dozens of notifications in the group chat called _Shimayu_.

Opening the messages she read, "Bird is in the nest."

The next one was, "I repeat. The bird is in the nest."

A sweet drop formed on her forehead. She needed to tell the young girl sending the messages that a phone was no walkie-talkie and that she did not need to repeat the messages. Hopefully the 12 year old did not forget about the mission while enjoying herself too much.

Yukari continued to read the messages. Some of them were, "Waiting for the kitten to smell the bait," "Still waiting," "Bird flutters around excited! *grin*," "The kitten smelled the bait," and "Kitten arrives to lick the milk."

Amused Yukari wondered, what the Ikaruga girl was usually reading orwatching to give her the idea for these codes. Clearly she was enjoying herself but the mission seemed to work according to plan for now. So Yukari chose to let it slide and let the young girl have some fun. With a finger raised to her lips she wondered, what she could answer in the same code worded style, which was used for the report. She hummed. An idea struck her after a while and she typed into her phone, "Roger! Report received. Dismissed!"

Putting the device onto the table again and turned around to check onto the vegetables braising int the pan. Her mind traveled back to the moment that laid the ground for today. The moment she had spoken, for the first time, to Ikaruga Sayo.

* * *

Yukari came in from tending her flowers. It was her most favorite hobby. A flower growing thanks to your effort was not only beautiful but satisfying. She hummed, carrying the bucket she had used to collect weeds. The next point on her task list was to cook dinner and she couldn't wait for the evening when she'd cuddle up next to her Seigen with a book in her hand. Since he had retired from exorcism she was gifted to have him in her life, in her house and also in her bed again. Although she still needed to soothe down the wounds on his hearts plunged deeply into it, by his past. She knew she'd never fill the gasps fully. She couldn't bring back the dead, she couldn't return his arm to him. But she would welcome him into her arms, every time he needed. She would mold down the ache caused by these wounds.

She walked towards the bath to place the bucket into the washbasin, when the phone started ringing. She was still wearing her gloves and hoped Seigen would pick up the call. When the phone rang a third time, she called him, "Seigen?"

No reaction. She sighed and went to the phone. Where was he again? He usually went off, all of a sudden. Sometimes he would visit her father's dorm and other times he would go off to who knows where.

She pulled one hand out of a glove before she picked up the phone sitting on a cupboard in her small but cute living room.

"Moshi, moshi," she said with a bright voice.

"Am I speaking with Otomi Yukari-san?" She did not know the person on the other side but based on the tone, the lightness of the voice, it had to be a girl.

While trapping the phone between shoulder and ear and pulling off the other glove, Yukari asked, "Yes, may I ask who you are?"

"I am Ikaruga Sayo. Ikaruga Shimon is my Nii nii-sama," the girl replied.

Yukari discarded the gloves and took the phone into one hand again. Ikaruga Shimon, the name rang a bell and Yukari remembered when she'd met him. "Ikaruga Shimon? The boy who had picked up my daughter when she and Rokuro went to Tsuchimikado island?"

"Exactly."

"How can I help you?"

"It's like this..." And then she continued to tell Yukari everything. How she thought her big brother to be in love with Yukari's daughter and how he was just not used to girls and did not come out to Mayura and how they needed someone to push them together.

Yukari had reacted like every mother would. Feeling gleefull on the inside but putting on a mask of carefullness on the outside. She did not know that Ikaruga boy and was careful. Besides, did her daughter like him at all? Yukari would not move a finger if that was the case. And so she thanked Sayo for her call and told her she needed to contemplate the offer.

In the following days she made investigations on Ikaruga Shimon. The red-haired boy she just saw once. Mentioning him once in a while to Seigen, was helpful. He was once the master of the Ikaruga boy and beneath snarky remarks, Yukari learned something: Her Seigen thought a lot of Ikaruga Shimon. Which meant a lot when it came to her negative husband. Yukari had always imagined she would need a lot of effort to calm down Seigen the day their daughter had her first boyfriend. Maybe that effort would be a little bit less with Ikaruga Shimon. According to Seigen, he seemed to be a strong fighter but as Seigen called him, someone with a soft heart. Afterwards she continued to get information from her own daughter. And on the first mention Yukari received the proof for an alliance with Ikaruga Sayo not being the worst idea, when Mayura appeared flustered at Yukari mentioning the name non-chalantely. Yukari smiled broadly, when her daughter stammered into her phone, "Sh-Shimon? What about him?"

The next thing Yukari did, wasn't call Ikaruga Sayo right back. No, at first she went down to her cellar. Among a line of boxes she immediately she found what she was looking for: A box with the name Seigen scribbeled on. Opening the dusted box, she found the object of her search, a book called _How to make him notice you. Strategies and tactics to trigger attention_.

With a big smile, she pulled out her phone and went through her contact list until she found the number she had saved a few days ago, when Seigen had told her he thought Ikaruga Shimon was a good man – he had added single minded but Yukari had wrote it off as one of Seigen's usual expressions of disapproval. Typing on the contact, she waited for the phone on the other side of the call to picked up.

After the girl's greeting, Yukari said, "I accept your offer under one condition: I want a live report on the day our plans are put into reality."

"Deal!" The girl exclaimed cheerful. And on that day their alliance was formed. An alliance with the goal to push her daughter, Mayura, and the girl's big brother, Shimon, together.

* * *

Everything went off according to plan, Sayo though with an evil grin. She couldn't help but snicker. It was truly a great plan she had devised with Otomi Yukari, Mayu's mother. The woman had a lot of experience and most of it had been her insight that formed the plan into perfection.

"What are you snickering about?" Behind her stood subject A, aka the bird, aka her brother Shimon who was oblivious to the day he was going to have.

With a loop-sided grin Sayo turned to her Nii nii-sama and said, "Oh, nothing. I am just excited to see Roku again."

"Ah," he said and turned away. He wasn't the most obvious type of guy. Yet, he couldn't fool his little sister. She knew, he was nervous about Mayu coming soon. She could see it in the strain in his shoulder while he buried his hands in his pockets and the furrow between his eyebrows. And he had all reason to be nervous. If all went according to plan, he would spend a lot of time alone with blonde haired girl.

Sayo almost snickered again and clapped a hand to her mouth. Her eyes skipped to her Nii nii-sama who had turned his back towards her, letting out a very loud sigh.

This was going to be good. Seriously good.

And there was a major plus for herself, too. She would not only saw Roku again but spend time alone with him. With gooey eyes she thought, it was a win-win-situation. And it was all thanks to the mastermind of Otomi Yukari who had added that both Nii nii-sama and Mayu needed to be as oblivious to the situation as possible to let it appear natural. Inviting only Mayu might have been fishy. And so Sayo had incidentally suggested to invite Roku and Mayu today because she hadn't seen them for such a long time. Everyone would thing Ikaruga Sayo's goal was to see Roku – she wouldn't totally deny it – but nobody would think about the possibility of a trap for Mayu and Nii nii-sama.

Shimon's indifferent face had wavered for a second, before he agreed, "Sure."

And that had been the moment his nervousness had started, until Mayu and Roku both positively replied and while waiting for them. It had been adorable how her brother had tried to appear calm, yet have went to put in his lenses and half an hour later had put them out again and his glasses on. Her brother was usually a bit vain about his looks – he would spend too much time in the bath placing down his headphones correctly – yet, he had never bothered for his outer appearance when at home. He wouldn't run around like a sack but was never concerned about his glasses. His lenses were much more practical in battle, he always said. Being unsure about his looks now was a telltale sign.

This was going to be so good indeed.

And finally their visitors were announced to have arrived, Sayo quickly pulled out her phone and typed Otomi-san the message, "Kitten arrives to lick the milk."

In time she turned arround to see Mayu and Roku follow being lead by a servant to Nii nii-sama and her. With bubbly laugh she threw herself into Roku's arms, yelling, "Roku!"

Roku fell over with her on top. Perfect.

She pressed herself against him and snuggled her head against his chest, before she heard Mayu behind her stutter, "Sa-Sayo."

Sayo pulled away and smiled at her, "Hello One-san."

"This is like a deja-vu," her Nii nii-sama grumbled with a hand held against his furrowed forehead.

Next to her Roku rose to his feet with a tortured grin decorating his handsome face. He was such a sweetie. "Hello to you to Sayo." He rubbed the back off his neck before he rose his eyes to Shimon. His expression changed into a pretty cool one. Full of strength and awesomeness. "Shimon."

"Rokuro," her Nii nii-sama replied.

Sayo knew she had to act fast now before they could get distracted by their low-key rivality. Taking Roku's hand she pulled him away and exclaimed, "I am going to show you our room."

"Wa-Wait Sayo," Roku yelled while stumbling after her with huge steps. Such a cute dork.

"Don't worry Nii nii-sama can show Mayu his headphone collection or his bonsai," Sayo said, loud enough for subject A and B to hear it to set the ball rolling, giving them something to do alone.

Yet, she knew her Ni nii-sama well enough to have planned for an impact to get him to contemplate about his actions towards Mayu a bit more. Otomi-san and her had planned for this, too and engaged another secret agent for the task. It was a pretty huge advantage that both her brothers, couldn't deny Sayo anything and that her oldest brother loved to tease the other.

And like they had practiced, the third of their alliance crossed her on the hallway and Roku before they walked around the corner, giving Rokuro a quick greeting.

Enter Keiji, Sayo thought with mischief.

During the time she would spent showing Roku her room with the large bed that one day would belong to both of them, Keiji would supervise their game. She sent him a look while passing. One he replied with a wink of one eye.

Now it was up to him.

* * *

Wearing his most charming smile Keiji approached his targets. When Sayo had approached him the first time with her plans, he had turned it off as child's play. He had promised to help her, if she wanted but wasn't really sure if it would bear any fruits. But then had been the day on the Games. And Keiji had noticed how much Shimon had worried about the Amawaka girl. From this day on it was obvious to Keiji: His younger brother had a crush on the girl. Since then Keiji had loved to tease Shimon about his infatuation for the girl. It was too funny! Seeing Shimon all flustered was a great sight. And now he wanted to help his little brother to come out of his shell and maybe make Amawaka Mayura take notice of him, too. Keiji had no idea what she was thinking about Shimon. But his little brother wasn't a bad catch. She probably hadn't missed that either.

So now he would his best to pull off one step of the plan that Sayo had devised with Mayura's mother: Flirting with Mayura in front of Shimon. Something Keiji would need to apologize for later. But now it was all to make Shimon jealous and hopefully show him that if he waited somebody else would sweep away such a sweet girl like Mayura.

"Mayura-chan, it's so nice to see you," Keiji said and walked towards her, stopping closer to her than it would be polite but not to close to scare her off.

"It's good to see you, too, Ikaruga-san," the girl said, offering a polite smile. She was very pretty. Keiji could see why his brother had fallen head over heels for her. She looked cute in her black skirt and blue shirt. And her eyes were like big pools, making one smile unconsciously. No wonder, such a girl was able to get under the hard shell that Ikaruga Shimon was covered in.

"If I may," Keiji said still smiling at her without batting an eye at Shimon and rose a hand to offer her to take it, "I would love to show you the house. On your last visit there had been no time for this I believe."

The girl looked surprised, blinking her eyes open and shut, before insecurity made her smile falter. She rose a fist to her chest and replied, "No, no there hasn't."

"It would be a pleasure to make up for it. I don't think my dear brother would mind, if I whisk you away for a while. He is always so busy with his duty," Keiji said as gallantly as possible, while on the inside he was torn between guilt and schadenfreude. If this did not serve their plan, he did not know what will.

And indeed it did, when he heard Shimon darkly mutter, "I'm not."

Keiji couldn't help his smile turning into a slight smirk as his eyes left the largerly opened of Mayura and looked over to his little brother who wore a dark scowl. His eyes were on fire.

Ouch! Keiji knew he deserved this gaze but it didn't smolder the burn.

He took away his hand and rose an eyebrow at Shimon challenging him to take away the girl in front of them. "Pardon?"

"I'm not. Not right now," Shimon said pointed. The passionate reaction did not only surprise Keiji. Mayura turned around as well. Looking very surprised and also confused at Shimon.

Shimon's shoulders visibly twitched and his scowl deepened. He looked away before he brokenly said, "Besides... you are too late... I wanted to... to show her my headphones."

It took a lot of composure not to burst out laughing at watching Shimon be all insecure and shy. Keiji swallowed down a chuckle and took a step back opening a way for them. "If that's so, then I wish you fun. I am sure there will be another occasion for a guide around the house," he said with a wink into Mayura's direction.

A huge blush formed on her face and she turned away from him. She mumbled, "S-sure."

His little brother sent him another glare – Who would have thought ice could burn like this? – and walked past him.

Soon Mayura caught herself and followed him. On passing Keiji charmingly said, "Later."

It wasn't as perfect as he had hoped. He had planned for Shimon to grab her hand and pull her with him after he'd offered his hand to Mayura. But then again, Shimon was not a hot-headed guy and also he had no experience with girls whatsoever. He still had a lot to learn.

Yet, the next step of their plan was set into motion. Exactly like Sayo had said, Shimon would take Mayura to show her his headphones or his bonsai, after she'd suggested it earlier to them, making them to go to a place, where they would be alone.

Keiji watched them turn around a corner before he pulled out his smartphone and typed into the group chat, called _Shimayu_ , which his sister had already filled with hilarious messages, "The plan succeeded. They are alone together now."

He wished his brother good luck. The next step would be all up to Shimon himself.

* * *

It was late in the evening, when Sayo gloated over their accomplishments of the day. Sometime later after Keiji had written her that Mayu and Nii nii-sama had gone off alone, said persons had returned meeting her and Roku in the main room – Sayo had been only a bit disappointed at having her quality time with Roku disrupted – looking both flustered. Something Roku had pointed out, making both their faces burn up even more.

Afterwards another set of points followed. Accidentally bumping into her brother, making him stumble against Mayu, bringing them to fall with Nii nii-sama's head nestled on her boobs, which was more than Sayo had accounted for, making them sit next to each other at dinner, telling Mayu great stories about her Nii nii-sama and more of Keiji's flirting. And the big finale was yet to come, when they went off to the gardens, with Roku and herself accompanying them.

The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky into a soft pink. It was so romantic! Sayo stared ahead caught up in glee at being next to her prince watching the sunset.

Shaking her head, Sayo remembered one of the last points of their plan. She tipped onto Roku's shoulder who had stared off to nowhere wearing a huge smile. For a moment she wondered, what he was thinking about. When he turned his head to her, she pulled the thought aside and motioned for him to bend down to her.

He looked uncomfortable but submitted.

Then she whispered in his ear, "Could you come with me inside?"

His head jerked back and sweat broke out on his face, making him look more adorable than he already was. Her future husband was such a sweet dork,

Before he could say a thing she put a finger to her lips and lowly hushed him, "Pst."

Blinking in surprise he nodded and walked with her towards the main house.

Glancing over her shoulder Sayo saw that neither her brother nor Mayu had noticed their disappearance as they stood next to each other watching the sunset in silence.

Sayo wished she could have watched, what would happen, when they were alone and cursed Keiji for vehemently talking her out of installing cameras outside and Nii nii-sama's room. She did not believe they would do something naughty but Keiji threatened to spill the beans and thereby ruining all their plans if she did. And so she had succumbed to his insisting. But maybe a small camera wouldn't have hurt. A small one, which spies used maybe. Then she would have known, if their work had paid off in the end. It wasn't like she would have watched her brother doing something naughty... Or did they?

They were all flustered, when they returned from Nii nii-sama's room.

Shocked at her Nii nii-sama's actions, Sayo gasped.

"What happened? Are you alright?" Next to her Rokuro watched her with furrowed eyebrows, turned down in worry.

Sayo realized, while they had walked all the way from the gardens into the main room, her mind had taken her off-space, to scenes that made her want to scratch her eyes out. Somewhere she had not wanted to go. At all!

Covering her shock with a nervous giggle she said, "I'm fine." Then she realized how Roku had worried about her. She walked towards him and cuddled up to him in a cat like graze, of course, "It's so nice of you to worry about me."

Roku jumped away being the perfect gentleman by guaranteeing Sayo's innocence until they were married. Every girl deserved such a boyfriend who did not come too close despite his desire. Sayo hoped her Nii nii-sama had been such a gentleman, too.

A twisted smile was on her future husband's face and he rubbed the back of his head again, when he'd asked, "So. Why did you want us to leave?"

Sayo smiled sweetly and settled down on the couch. Then she explained, "I wanted to give the lovebirds outside some room."

She watched different emotions play out on Roku's face: Confusion, irritation, wonder, pensiveness, doubt, realization, surprise and last but not least unmasked shock. Thunderously loud he yelled, "MAYURA AND SHIMON?!"

Holding her hands to her ears, Sayo hoped that they had not heard it outside and interrupt whatever they were doing – she was still not convinced her brother would be such a sleazeball – but it wouldn't surprise her if they did. After all everyone Tsuchimikado island heard it.

That definitely broadened the scope on people knowing about them, which wasn't so bad in the long run. Sayo could mark off another point on the list though: Letting Mayu's best friend know about something going on between Mayu and Nii nii-sama to put him onto both of them.

Roku started to bombard her with a lot of question, concerning the two when she saw her brother walk quickly past the main room which was shortly after the loud exclamation. "Nii nii-sama?"

He stopped walking but did not look at her, keeping his gaze stuck to the ground. Focusing closer onto his face Sayo noticed the deep flush on his cheeks.

Grinning she asked, "Where is Mayu?"

Her Nii nii-sama refused to look at her and mumbled darkly, "Went home." Then he turned around again and quickly walked away.

This could be a good sign or a bad sign, Sayo thought before writing another instant message to Yukari and Keiji, "The kitten returns to its territory."

Now everything lay in the hands of the mastermind herself.

* * *

Yukari was leaning against her husband's chest. She felt comfy and warm. Her eyes felt heavy and threatened to fall close despite the interesting read on a woman hating the man of her dreams at first before they fall in love – the standard story of almost every romance.

She was startled out of her lull, when her phone vibrated against her thigh. All day she had been entertained by Ikaruga Sayo's reports. Some were to very obvious like, "The bird and kitten reappeared in the barn," and others weird like, "Seems like the bird wants to make a new nest ON the kitten." Nevertheless everything they had planned these few weeks in the past seemed to go smoothly. And Yukari couldn't wait to speak to her daughter and hear what she thought of Ikaruga Shimon.

With a smile she took the phone and read a message from Sayo-chan which implied that Mayura was on her way to the Amawaka estate.

Now it was Yukari's time to shine. She shifted her body to stand up.

Seigen seemed unsatisfied about the sudden withdrawal of warmth and drawled at her, "Where are you going?"

Yukari smiled softly at him and replied, "To call our daughter."

The scowl fell of his face and he visibly – well, at least to her – suppressed his curiosity.

Yukari went off to go to the kitchen, planning to make a tea for a conversation that was going to be long. Thinking about that, she turned once again around to Seigen and said, "Don't wait up for me."

Then she walked into the kitchen, hearing him splutter, "Huh?"

She prepared herself for the tea and the call. She had never talked with Mayura about boys. And now that it was time she felt excited and nervous at the same time.

After a few minutes she sat down at the table in the middle of the kitchen with a steaming hot cup of tea in front of her and the phone staring back at her. There was no point in pro-longing it further.

Grabbing her phone she looked for her daughter's number and called her.

When she heard Mayura's voice greeting her, Yukari started, what was going to be their first long talk as daughter and mother about boys with the words, "How was your day?"

* * *

A/N: I had too much fun writing this. I actually did this in two sessions, the first Yukari part in one months ago and all of the rest in the second session 'cause I couldn't stop my diabolical self from letting the Captains of the ship make Shimon and Mayura suffer. Who would have known it could be so much fun writing a shimayu story without writing them? Although you might disagree. I don't know if it was fun to read, too. :P

Some things I'd liked to say about this: I thought about whether making the code words nautic because of the prompt and our Captains or use something else. Because of this spy and detective setting I thought it would be great to have "bird" and "kitten" instead because it's a two-sided pun. For starters Shimon is a bird/chicken and secondly "The bird's in the nest." is THE code phrase.

Secondly, Sayo is a perv. XD

And last but not least: There seems to be a magnetic power between Mayura's boobs and Shimon. I could not leave this out for the sake of the SnO setting. (lol)


	15. Fading Lights

**A/N: SPOILER ALERT | If you have not seen/read the latest chapter, no. 49, released a few hours ago, don't read this.**

For those who have seen it: I needed some sort of compensation for what occurred and a bit of shimayu comfort, so I wrote this little One-shot to share with you. It's not entirely what I think will happen but I hope to see. Also I will use this piece for the prompt: The Games because I don't think I like to write something else about it now concerning Shimayu and with Mayura having lost her fight and Shimon being unable to continue, I don't think there is something else worth writing in terms of shimayu. That having been said, have a bit of comfort.

Prompt: A scene at the Games

 **Fading Lights**

The light continuously shined. Green surrounding a few letters that glared in a shiny white at her.

She did not know how long she sat on the bank in the hallway waiting for the light to turn out. Everything had happened so fast and she still could not grasp what had happened in the arena.

It was hard to fathom something like this to be real. At least for her.

Having lived beneath a veil of protection, shielded from this gruesome world, it was not easy to picture a thing like that or even see it.

The medics had transported Shimon quickly into the operating room accompanied by Mitosaka Kankuro who slipped into a coat on the way and Shimon's foster brother, Ikaruga Keiji. She had been the only one who was not allowed to go along, being no relative.

Mayura thought about her father. He had lost his arm. Back then she had been unconscious, unable to watch what was happening and when she came to she had faced this new reality like waking from a dream. This time had been a lived nightmare. And she did not know what to do except waiting. Back then when Otosaan had lost his arm, she had sworn to become an exorcist to protect the people around her. So that such a thing would never happen again. But she had been unable to do anything as she had watched the horror play out in front of her – in front of everyone's eyes. It had happened in a second. A second was all it needed to mark a lifetime, to change the course of the future and cut off Shimon's leg.

Her eyes skipped to the sign above the door to the operating room. It was still gawking at her in its poisonous green light surrounding the sharp white letters: _Surgery_.

Unable to tell how many time had gone by, Mayura wondered, if they had continued with the second round of the Hadare Castle Games. After Shimon's match against Tenma a break was announced without saying how long it would take. She wished best luck to Jinya-san who would fight again, hoping for his understanding. The situation at hand was more important to her than the battles outside.

Growing impatient Mayura bit her lip and started to fidget.

The light was starring back at her. Added to her anxiety that would not leave her like a shadow came a shower of fear that made her shiver.

What was taking them so long? Had Shimon lost too much blood? Was he in danger?

She had not been thinking about it but instantly jumped to him as fast as she could to heal him but had been unable to stop the bleeding when he had risen again and walked up to Tenma. Was he now on the rim of life?

Mayura looked at the sign and ground her teeth. _Please, Shimon, be safe_ , she thought.

Out. Mayura blinked her eyes. The light was out.

Suddenly the door was pushed open. People in white coats strolled out, rolling a bed past her not giving her a chance to see him once. In a quick pace they shoved the bed down the floor and she saw Keiji and Mitosaka Kankuro walking out and following them in quick strides. Their expressions looked grave. Nothing what she hoped to see.

Jumping to her feet, Mayura followed them to one of the recovery rooms she had been earlier today after her fight against Mitejima Subaru.

Just when she wanted to follow them trough the door one of the medics turned to her and said, "Only relatives and staff," before closing the door in her face.

The anxiety clutched on her chest in a suffocating grasp. What was happening? Why was nobody allowed to see him?

Scared Mayura rose a fist to her chest and stared at the door. She was more afraid than ever to loose Shimon.

Again she waited for another door to open. This time she had no light to watch and leaned her back against the cool wall.

One after another of the medics left the room. Each of them refusing to give her information on Shimon's condition.

After what seemed like an eternity Shimon's foster brother walked out of the room. He looked miserable and deep in thought until his gaze met her. His eyes widened in surprise before his lips formed a broken smile. "Amawaka Mayura, right?"

"Hai," Mayura exclaimed louder than she wanted to. But she was grasping on straw and would take everything she got to know how Shimon was doing.

"I think you can enter now. He was successfully stabilized and bandaged and is currently resting. But he regained his consciousness a while ago,"

"Are you leaving?"

"I need to look after Sayo. He said he wanted me to check on her. It was the first thing he said when he woke up," Keiji scoffed but his smile turned bitter soon, "She watched the broadcast so she saw what happened."

Mayura nodded in understanding and stood up. She knew about the relationship between Shimon and Sayo and could not imagine how the girl was dealing with watching her strong, big brother being damaged so severly in such a brutal way. Before she reached the door Keiji said, "They weren't able to transplant the leg again."

Mayura froze. Her eyes widened as the information poured in and her lungs stopped working. What she had seen earlier became reality. Shimon lost his leg and would never walk again freely. He would need a prosthesis, rehab and everything else that was meant for involuntarily made veterans.

"I thought you want to know before you enter. He is taking it amazingly well but..." Keiji wavered off. When she looked at him she saw him shake his head. He sighed and said, "I better leave now."

She watched him walk down the hallway. Taking in a deep breath, she softly knocked on the door and opened it.

The room had three beds for the fighters to recover. Currently there was only one occupied by a red headed figure covered with a white sheet reaching almost to the chest.

"Shimon?"

Mayura took a few steps towards the bed and watched him closer. Where should have been two long elevated portions next to each other was only one, the other stopped shortly after where was supposed to be his hips.

He did not move. Maybe he had fallen asleep. She called for him once more to see if he truly was not awake.

"Hn," he replied in a low rumble.

She crossed the room and circled his bed. For the first time since he'd been carried into surgery, she looked at him. His skin was pale, his eyes looked tired, rings were deeply carved around them.

When his gaze lifted to her, she was for a loss of words. She should have used the hours waiting to prepare and felt foolish not having thought about this earlier. She couldn't ask him how he was doing because it was obvious he wouldn't be fine after having lost a leg. His eyes looked rather dull compared to the fierce shine they usually sported but she could not tell if it was because of the painkillers or because of sorrow.

Folding her hands in front of her, Mayura dropped her eyes to the floor and swiped her gaze over tiles. After taking in a deep, steadying breath she ushered, "I am sorry."

"Don't be," Shimon replied in a low, deep voice, groggy from the anaesthesia. He sucked in an audible breath and turned to lay on his back with a groan. "I had wanted to do what I believed was right. I thought I could help him but I was wrong and paid for it."

Anger filled her when she thought about the culprit who was responsible for Shimon's state. She would not allow Shimon to blame himself and defend that cruel and mad person. She took a seat on the stool beside the bed. "It was not your fault. He broke the rules. He knew what he was doing when he activated the Matoi Kajiri."

Shimon nodded reluctantly and criss-crossed his fingers above his stomach.

Patiently Mayura waited for him to say something, hoping he would not mention Unomiya Tenma again.

After a while he withdrew his hands on his chest and placed them on both of his sides. His eyes searched for hers again. "I don't know what to do now. Even Seigen did not fully recover from this. He had to give up being an exorcist," he slowly admitted.

Mayura wanted to tell him that everything was going to be fine but it seemed to be a lie.

He must have understood the reason for her reluctance and looked away again, biting his lips. Shimon who was always so strong was falling apart in front of her eyes and it scared her more than watching his leg being dissected from his body. With a broken voice he croaked, "I still need to save Chiiko."

She reached out for his hand. Covering his with hers. It was too cool to the touch and she hoped to give him comfort and warmth like he had a while ago when they had been shipwrecked on an isle.

His eyes moist with unshed tears rose to hers and her heart soared in pain at the sight. Her own eyes filled with tears but she quickly blinked them away. She was there to comfort him. For his sake she needed to be strong.

"I will help you," she stated with every ounce of strength she could muster. "I'll help you train and recover and whatever is needed."

"You have your own path to go," Shimon replied.

"You helped me and now I am helping you."

"That was different. I helped you sharpen your potential, something that was already there. I can't expect you to help compensate what is lost," His gaze fell to the gap on the bed where his right leg was supposed to be and she followed his gaze.

She wished she could repair it. Give him a leg and filling the space that had been emptied. She swallowed heavily as unbidden tears made her throat constrict.

"Besides you are going to train with Subaru-san now, aren't you? You have to concentrate on that."

"I will spend any time I have to help you, if you like it or not. We'll find a way,"

she pronounced every word, meaning all of it from the bottom of her heart.

"Thank you, Mayura," he looked at her openly and she felt her breath hitch in her lungs at the honesty of his eyes shining with gratefulness and something deep hidden across the sky blue of his eyes. "I –," his voice faltered. His eyebrows scrunched to a frown. Something like regret filled his eyes and she wondered what he was thinking until he said with a broken smile, "Thank you."

Unable to form words as her throat now fully prohibited her to swallow and tears filled her eyes again, she tightened her fingers around his. He returned the gesture and they stayed like this for a long time. A long time that was yet not enough to fill the blanks. They stayed like this until he fell asleep and she was the one holding his relaxed hand.

* * *

A/N: What do you think? Well beside the fact that chapter 49 tears your heart into shreds and leaves you speechless. I do not know what will happen. But I hope Shimon will find a way to continue to fight because it was his one goal. Maybe he will have to rely on his ability to fly in fights more. Who knows? Anyway I hope it was a bit comforting to you as it was to me. Thank you for reading.


	16. Christmas Traditions and Surprises

A/N: This is my gift for the Sousei Secret Santa for Giushia. Hope you'll like it!^^

 **Christmas Traditions and Surprises**

"Ohhh, that is so cool!" the dark haired boy jumped from the ladder and yelled in front of him. Unruly strands of hair bobbled up and down while he grinned at the shiny and colorful decoration which came into being with each bauble, cone and star that Mayura handed him.

Shimon sighed. Enmadou always got too worked up about things. Yet – letting his gaze run over the place he had to admit – the living room of the Enmadou house, the old Adashino house, was shaping up into a festive space.

"We aren't finished yet, Rokuro. Now get up the ladder again and let's finish the rest," Mayura told him, standing between them while holding a sparkling red bauble in the air for Rokuro to fasten it to the higher space of the Christmas tree. Everyone had been cautious since Rokuro insisted on being the one on the ladder to finish the decorations. So far that hadn't been a problem but the boy with shark teeth was too enthusiastic right now before they were even finished.

"Right! Sorry. I am just so excited. I hope Benio will come soon so she can see this," Rokuro replied with a small blush and a big smile that made Shimon uncomfortable to look at.

Seriously, this guy was not very good at hiding his emotions. Likely, he didn't even try.

His eyes left the boy who climbed onto the ladder. Shimon's gaze got stuck on the blonde holding a bauble in her hand. She had dressed for the occasion, he guessed. A white blouse and red skirt made her look feminine and nice. Something Shimon did not want to think about too much. Just like the fact that he wore a white shirt that was unintentionally fitting to her outfit.

Tearing his gaze off from her, he looked at Tsuchimikado Arimori who had been the first to join the Enmadou house. He stood there wearing an apron, broom in hand and sweat dropping at Rokuro. So far the young boy had done a very good job at directing Rokuro and telling him where to put which piece of decoration, while sweeping up the needles fallen off the tree. It made Shimon wonder, why they had asked Mayura and him to help in the first place. The son of the head exorcist took care of two jobs at the same time while making sure Rokuro wouldn't get too distracted.

So far all Shimon was able to do, was to bury his hands in the pockets of his trousers and shrug at the younger people in the room. It wasn't like he had his own stuff to do and own things to prepare. Nevertheless, he hadn't been able to reject the request when Rokuro had gone to see them on the schoolyard. Mayura had been very excited about the idea and for some reason Shimon had not been able to say, "No."

He surely was growing too soft around them.

"I am sure, Adashino-san would like this," Mayura said before bending down to retrieve another bauble.

"We could leave the Christmas decorations for a while, so there is a higher chance she will see it," Arimori – or Arisu like he wanted to be called – suggested.

"For how long?" Rokuro asked with a slight frown.

"Well in some countries they leave the decorations on until the 6th of January while others celebrate Christmas in January."

"Great! That gives us more time," Rokuro agreed while picking up the blue bauble. "Though, I always thought Christmas was on a fixed date. What is it about anyway?"

Now the silver haired boy began to smile smugly. He was very knowledgeable after all. Something that Shimon had learned very quickly about the young Tsuchimikado. He blinked at Arisu while this one started with his explanation waving a forefinger in the air, "It is a religious tradition of the Christians which got spread all over the world and was picked up with various traditions in different countries. Did you know that Santa Claus is an invention of the Coca Cola company? He even got banned in Peru because he is not part of the real Christian tradition."

Rokuro blinked at the silver haired with widened eyes. The bauble dangerously dangled from his fingers in midair while he asked, "Santa never was real?"

"Ughhh..." Arisu sweet dropped and giggled awkwardly before letting go of the broom and turning around. Bending down to pick up a garland out of one of the boxes on the ground he said, "I meant in other countries they celebrate Christmas differently."

"Oh," Rokuro huffed and smiled at Arisu's back. "You sure know a lot, Arisu."

"Whether it is originally a religious tradition or not, I like Christmas, it is fun," Mayura said, interrupting the fresh awkwardness of the situation.

Shimon nodded at Mayura and she smiled sweetly at him. The corners of his mouth lifted on their own in response.

"You are right, Mayura. Anyway, thank you both for the help," Rokuro said while fastening the bauble to a rather fickle twig. "It's great you came, before I asked, I thought you guys would rather be on a date than here."

Splash! The sound of glass shattering pierced through the room.

"A-a-a date?" Mayura stuttered. Her hand still held up in midair with a bauble less.

"Yeah, like the other couples," Rokuro replied.

Feeling very hot and uncomfortable all of a sudden Shimon dragged his gaze from the conversation to the floor. There was a pattern of red spurted from the center where the bauble burst. What a mess.

"We are not a couple," Mayura said, emphasizing the negation.

No, they weren't. Hearing her talking about it like this stung nevertheless.

Shimon felt the need to do something. He did not want to be part of this conversation at all, even though it was partly about him. Going onto his knees in front of the burst bauble, he began to scatter the shards. His face felt hot but he tried not to show his inner commotion. With tensed muscles and grit teeth, Shimon knelt on the floor and picked up one shard after another.

"You aren't?" Rokuro asked as if it was the surprise of the day.

One shard after another, one shard after another and one shard after another, was picked up by Shimon –

"NOOOO~!" Mayura exclaimed.

Ouch!

Shimon's hand twitched and he hissed at the stabbing pain in his finger.

Damn, he picked up a shard too fast and now it was buried within his finger tip. With a frown he plucked it out. The blood started running. Putting the finger in his mouth, to prevent the blood from ruining his white shirt, he let his eyes swipe over the room to look for some help.

Mayura was glaring with a beat red head at Rokuro, who cowered in fear on the ladder.

It truly stung. Like the shard but only in his heart and not his finger. Was the idea of dating him so outrageous to her? He tried not to let his disappointment show. His eyes skipped over to Arisu who stared back at him with a frown, holding the garland like he had before. Shimon could have sworn he saw sympathy in the young boys eyes but he wasn't sure if it was for his finger or – the other thing.

Shimon cleared his throat and asked Arisu for a band-aid who dropped the garland and quickly walked away to get one.

That finally broke the verbal tug of war that Mayura and Rokuro were having. Though it was obvious who was the winning one with Mayura having stemmed her arms into her hips and looking angrily at the other boy.

Mayura's eyes met Shimon's and he was transfixed by the transformation within hers. In one blink of an eye the sharp glow of anger vanished and worry filled her big, blue eyes. In the very next moment she was at his side, kneeling on the ground as well, "Shimon, are you alright?"

He pulled out the finger of his mouth and said, "It's nothing. Just a small cut because of the Christmas bauble."

"Oh, I am so sorry, Shimon." she mumbled pitifully.

"It's not you fault."

"It is. I dropped it," Mayura insisted. A blush covered her face again and she looked away, being shy for whatever reason.

Noticing just in time that the blood had started running over his finger again Shimon stuck it into his mouth again. He wished he had a handkerchief with him. It must look silly how he sat with a finger stuck into his mouth.

Finally Arisu arrived, bringing not only a band-aid but a complete first aid-box. Compassionate and prepared for everything, that was Tsuchimikado Arimori. Shimon had a hard time figuring out what he had in common with his father despite the looks, while he watched the young boy, search for a band-aid.

"There!" With a smile the young boy quickly walked over to Mayura and Shimon who still knelt in front of each other.

"Let me," Mayura said to Arisu softly.

After taking the band-aid out of the other one's hand, she opened the seal. Plucking his finger out of his mouth and holding it out for her, Shimon was surprised when she did not immediately wipe the band-aid around his finger, but bowed down instead and softly blew on it. A cooling sensation ran over his hand, a tingle rushed up and down his spine and his heart picked up a beat.

Rising an eyebrow he stared at her. "Huh?"

"Okasan used to do that when I got hurt. Every time she said, it helps to make the pain go away," Mayura smiled softly at him. His heart skipped a beat.

Damn. That it did.

He swallowed hard and almost missed how she wrapped the band-aid around his finger.

"There you go," she whispered with a tender voice and gentle eyes.

"Thanks," he said while his heart raged in his chest. Ripping his eyes off of the sweet girl in front of him, Shimon looked over to Rokuro and Arisu. The first one was grinning and started whistling when he was detected. The other looked shyly away as if he had walked into an inappropriate scene.

Was he being that obvious?

Mayura, being unaware of the other two guys, started to pick up the rest of the shards while Shimon glared at them.

He just hoped they would be finished here soon, so he wouldn't feel placed under supervision anymore. Also he needed time to get his own business at home done.

Rubbing his thumb over the band-aid, Mayura wrapped around his finger, he questioned his reasons for asking her earlier to come along after this.

* * *

"You know, you could have stayed for a cocoa," the redhead, walking next to her, said. His hands were buried in the pockets of his dark coat and the ends of his scarf swung up and down due to the slight but freezing breeze.

Right now, Shimon looked cool, almost hard, serious and unapproachable as most times. Something that made the girls in her class swoon and sigh, she noticed. Mayura, on the other hand, preferred him cute, showing his soft side and kindness towards others, especially his family. – Or cute like earlier when he had sucked onto his finger, staring at her with big eyes, as blue and expressive as the endless sky.

Suppressing the warm bubbles in her belly at the image of him kneeling on the floor with a finger stuck in his mouth, Mayura chose to concentrate on his question instead.

"No, it's okay. I can have cocoa all the time. Besides I came to help and since you need help, I am glad to come along," she replied and winked an eye at him.

"You already worked two hours at Enmadou's place," he said, looking at her with observant eyes. She had noticed, how he often looked at her as if he wanted to read her. He did it now again.

"Don't stress about it, Shimon. Also, if it is for Sayo, I am even more happy to help."

It was true. She wanted to help. Not only because she liked Shimon but his family as well. Sayo was a sweet girl living with a harsh fate. When Shimon had told her about his plans to decorate their place for Sayo, Mayura had been glad to offer a hand. Moreover, when Shimon explained to her that it was a tradition of his since a few years ago to decorate the Ikaruga house because Sayo wasn't allowed to go out and see other places, Mayura's heart had clenched in compassion for the poor girl who carried a heavy burden and the big brother who would do everything for his younger sister.

This year, he'd said, he planned for a special wonderland because of the snow outside. Mayura couldn't wait to see it for herself and felt giddy when the Ikaruga estate finally came into sight.

Her giddiness did not decrease during their chore in the cold outside, while they lay what must have been miles of cables with bulbs of all sizes within the gardens and placed Chistmas figures made of wire and bulbs on certain spots. Working hand in hand they quickly finished decorating the garden and continued to work inside.

Boxes filled with all kinds of Christmas adornment and his structured and relentless commitment to the task were signs of his devotion to his sister and Mayura was surprised at how easily she fell into the rhythm he set.

Compared to the amount of work and time at decorating Rokuro's house, Shimon and her were finished very fast, hanging garlands over entrances and dressing up bonsai as cute, little Christmas trees.

Right now they just needed to hang up a few little things, Shimon used every year because Sayo liked them so much. He stood on the ladder and hung whatever she was giving him to the ceiling. It made her wonder, if he always hung those things randomly or if she was just doing a good job at picking them out of the dozens of things in the box she was hugging with one arm.

She grabbed for a frizzy thing, a twig of some sorts, and held it up for him. When he shifted his weight to take it, she recognized what the item was. Her fingers clenched tightly around the object as she stared agape at the mistle toe in her hand.

When he could not take it out of her hand for her very tight grip, he looked at her surprised. "What is it?"

Nervously she stuttered, "Sh-Shimon, do you know what this is?"

He rose a shoulder to a small shrug, "Not really. I hang it every year. Does it have a special meaning?"

"Have you never seen romantic Christmas mov –?" His risen eyebrow answered her question. It figured. Why would she even think that her would know? Shaking her head, she explained, "It's a mistle toe. If two people stand beneath it, they have to kiss."

He blinked, once, twice, before a red hue spread over his cheeks. He did not say a say thing though and simple took it out of her hand before fastening it to the ceiling.

Surprised Mayura watched him. She wondered what was going on in the head of his, if he did not understand what she said, if he was choosing to ignore this Christmas tradition or if he thought up a strategy to circumvent what was demanded.

Unsure about what was going on she slung the other arm around the box.

Then he stepped down the stepladder and turned towards her with a gaze of determination. The red hue was gone except for a little tint.

Oh. Oh.

Was he seriously considering – ?

He wasn't, was he? Ikaruga Shimon wouldn't kiss a girl simply because a twig told him to, right?

His gaze of determination did not dissolve though. It hardened when he took a step towards her. Only the box she held in her hands was now between them.

She swallowed.

Her eyes searched his. Her raging gaze only found his calm one.

Dropping her eyes to the box, she wondered if this was how it ought to happen.

She wasn't prepared for her first kiss though. Didn't they need to have a moment? A situation that was not planned but more spontaneous? A moment in which he did not look like he would be ready to head into battle? Perhaps a moment like earlier. When he had smiled so cutely at her before she wrapped the band-aid around his finger, that her heart soared. She –

All of a sudden she felt something warm on her left cheek.

Lips.

His lips were pressed onto her cheek.

Mayura gasped.

It clicked and there was a flash of light.

His warm breath graced her hair and ear while he placed a peck on her cheek.

Her heart stopped.

"Gottcha!" Somebody yelled.

Confused Mayura blinked.

When Shimon pulled away, she saw Sayo standing there with a photo camera in hand. That explained the click and the flash.

"Chiiko!?" Shimon exclaimed rather shocked, while Mayura was still trying to calm down.

Shimon had kissed her.

On the cheek.

"This will make a perfect Christmas card!" Sayo exclaimed, grinning from one ear to another.

Slowly Mayura came to understand the situation, as Shimon stared at his grinning sister with a beat red head. Shimon had kissed her on the cheek and not only were there witnesses but also was there evidence. The warmth on her face turned into heat of embarrassment.

"Delete the photo," Shimon told Sayo.

"Nope, never," the girl replied, folding her arms behind her back and hiding the camera within the process.

"Then at least don't use it as a Christmas card?" Shimon tried again.

"What do I get out of it?"

A sigh left Shimon. "What do you want?"

"Another motive. You two hugging!"

Mayura couldn't help but silently witness the negotiations between the siblings while she almost crushed the box in her arms. Soon they decided on another motive, one that wouldn't put only Shimon and Mayura on display and would certainly not imply something that wasn't there.

Later as they made a family photo with Mayura in the middle next to Shimon with all of the Ikarugas framing them – she could have sworn Keiji pressed his brother even closer to her, she thought what a strange and funny day it had been. Christmas was surely fun. Exhausting but fun.

After the photo session, they lit the lights outside. All over the gardens soft, golden, warm lights appeared, giving it a sublime and cozy glow. It was magical.

Mayura felt the spot on her cheek tingle and smiled.

"It is beautiful," she murmured.

"It is," Shimon agreed, standing next to her.

* * *

A few days later in a house in Narukami a man was checking the mailbox of his partner.

Within it he found an envelope between bills and brochures, addressed to Otomi Yukari and Amawaka Seigen. It made him frown. The man, sporting dark hair and a pony tail reaching over all of his back, asked himself, who would write both of them. There weren't many people who knew that they were a couple again.

Walking back inside he opened the envelope to find a Christmas Card. It was a picture of the Ikaruga family with his own daughter standing between them. He rose an eyebrow in surprise at first but the surprise ebbed away soon. In his mind the explanation was clear: The Ikaruga's always had been an odd but kind bunch. Well, except for Shimon's father. He had been silent and serious, just like his son.

Seigen turned the card in his hand. _Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!_ , it yelled at him.

The dark haired man put the card on the table and sighed. As much as he was glad that his daughter was not treated like garbage where she was, he was sure his ex-wife and current partner would insist to send a card to the Ikaruga family in return. She had forced him before and would do it again, for certain. A shudder went through the man with droopy eyes, while he recalled the Santa costume that he had tried to burn behind his ex-wife's back before. It had appeared again and again, no matter how often he burned it to crisps. (Unbeknownst to him, did his woman know about his attempts and bought the same costume every year during the time he had lived with her.)

While Amawaka Seigen sat at the kitchen table and recalled the reason for his personal nightmare of Christmas, he took notice about something else sticking out of the envelope. Under further inspection he discovered that it was another card.

Pulling it out Seigen saw –

"HUUUUUUH?!" he spurted out upon seeing the silent and serious boy, he had thought about just a few moments ago, kissing his daughter on the cheek.

Angrily Seigen flipped the card to the back and there he read, _A special gift from a Secret Santa. MEEEERRY CHISTMAS!_


End file.
